


One on One

by Chameleononplaid



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Kidnapping, Murder, Sex, Spies, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2018-12-18 10:13:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 49,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11872191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chameleononplaid/pseuds/Chameleononplaid
Summary: Felicity needs to finish her last year at college, especially now that she left MIT after her boyfriend died. All her classes are pretty easy, save one, Russian, which her counselor suggested. What makes it more difficult is the teacher, who she might have made a mistake with outside of class.Oliver Queen is a Russian Professor at Starling City University. He hides some deep secrets behind his charming, handsome exterior. Not that anyone has ever noticed. That was until a certain blonde student of his begins to crack at the edges of his comfortable life.





	1. Professor Sexy

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly don't know where this one came from other than from watching a video that andrajacsi posted recently to YouTube. It is to make up for being away for the last couple of weeks. This contains two prompts from the Olicity Hiatus-Fic-A-Thon. Week 12's Impaired Judgment and Week 13's Sleepless. 
> 
> Thank you to my beta who is just the greatest, missmeagan666.

**Chapter 1: Professor Sexy**

 

            Oliver reached for his fifth glass of tequila saluting Laurel Lance as she smiled and waved at him from the dance floor of Verdant where she danced with a few of her friends. The second she turned, Oliver’s own smile faded. _Damn it_. He was bored and buzzed.

            “You don’t look happy, bro,” Thea said appearing at his side. She took up residence in Laurel’s abandoned chair, fixing her mini dress as she did so.

            “I’m not.” Oliver drowned his drink and turned to face his sister. “Nice turnout.”

            Thea shrugged. “Not too bad for a Thursday night. Speaking of…” Thea’s eyes, so familiar to their mother’s, even if the dark orbs were the wrong shade, hit his. There was a sparkle of humor there, despite the straight face she tried to maintain. “What are you doing here on a school night? Don’t they have rules where the professors can’t party until the weekend? And someplace that won’t scare off my college crowd?”

            Oliver laughed. “Sorry, sis. Laurel insisted. She won some case earlier today and felt like celebrating.”

            “Yeah, well,” Thea glanced out toward the dance floor. “How long is that,” she nodded at Laurel, “going to last this time?”

            “Wish I knew.” Oliver waved over a waitress. He held up his empty glass and two fingers.

            “Haven’t you had enough to drink?” his sister asked with concern.

            “Not nearly,” he replied. Though the buzzing in his head argued when he and Thea rose to hug each other. “Love you. I promise to hide in a corner so I won’t scare off your patrons.”

            Thea waved him back down. “Sit. You’re fine where you are. No sense drawing attention to yourself. You do enough of that without trying.”

            Oliver gave her a half-hearted salute before he sat down. Thea only shook her head and walked off. Oliver surveyed the club. Nothing he hadn’t seen before during any of his other visits to his sister’s nightclub. College students littered the place. Sighing, Oliver wished his drinks to arrive.

            That’s when he saw her. Oliver sat up straighter as his eyes took in every detail. He lapped up the changes from the girl he normally saw in class.

            Felicity Smoak was a brilliant student. One that barely drew attention to herself outside of her intelligence. She came to class in sweater vests and pencil skirts. Her hair scrapped back into ponytails. Glasses constantly perched upon her nose. But now… Now, Felicity’s blonde hair flowed free over her shoulders. Glasses gone. Her makeup smoky and exotic as she sidled up to some of her friends in a bright red mini-dress and sky-high, black heels.

            Oliver shifted in his seat, his mouth dry, cottony. The waitress dropped off his liquor and Oliver asked for a large glass of water. He felt like he needed it more, because obviously his judgment was impaired if he was seriously studying a student. _God. She was gorgeous_.

            “Hey, baby.” Laurel pecked him on the cheek and sat down next to him. She picked up one of the glasses that sat in front of him and sipped the hard liquor. “I need this. It’s hot in here tonight.”

            “Yeah. It is.” Oliver’s eyes never strayed from the form across the room. Reaching up, Oliver further loosened his tie around his neck. His fingers trailed over the silk while he pictured the blonde squirming naked on top of his desk tied there with it, while he did a thorough study of what lay between her legs.

            Fingers snapped in front of his face. Startled, Oliver turned and faced Laurel, his on-again, off-again girlfriend. He wasn’t exactly sure where they were right now. “Yeah?”

            Her brows creased as she sat there studying him. “You okay?”

            “Sure. Of course.” _Did he sound convincing enough?_ He hoped so.

            Laurel shook her watch around on her wrist. “I need to get home. I have a deposition in the morning.” She glanced over at him. “You heading out?”

            Oliver shook his head and lied. “I told Thea I’d hang around a little longer.”

            “Okay.” Laurel rose from her chair and hung her purse over her shoulder. “We still on for the ballet on Sunday?”  

            “Right. The ballet.” Oliver nodded. “My parents are coming too.”

            Laurel smiled at him. “Great.” She gave him a brief peck on the lips. “See you then.”

            Oliver didn’t bother to watch her leave. His gaze refocused on Felicity. _Damn_. He’d never be able to see her the same again. And considering she was in his Friday night class tomorrow, that didn’t bode well.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “Don’t look over there,” Caitlin said raising a sickly looking pink drink to her lips as she nodded over Felicity’s shoulder.

            “Why?” Felicity turned her head over her shoulder in the exact direction that Caitlin warned her against.

            Iris whistled. “Professor Sexy is checking you out, girl.”  

            “Uh-uh,” Felicity denied, but fully turned to confirm. Professor Oliver Queen sat across the room, his tie loose around the collar of his white dress shirt. His eyes were laser focused in their direction, but Felicity refused to believe that she was the one that drew his attention. He raised a glass their way, saluting them before he brought it to his lips and swallowed it in one swift gulp.

            Felicity reached for her own drink of mineral water. The room seemed to have suddenly grown warmer. Every girl who took his class would love to have Oliver Queen looking at them the same way he looked right now. Felicity was no exception. She’d never admit to it though. Mostly because of the reputation he had.

            Oliver Queen was known to sleep with his students. Caitlin claimed it could not be true. If he had, surely he would have been fired by now. Iris, despite being completely in love with her high school sweetheart, teased that she hoped it was true because Oliver Queen was on her list. The list that couples made to excuse sleeping with someone else. Felicity never had one. Even when she had been dating Cooper. Only back then, at MIT, she had no idea who Oliver Queen even was.

            Now, she had to sit five seats away from where he tried to teach her class Russian every Wednesday and Friday nights. It wasn’t a class she had planned to take, but with her hacking skills and a lack of a foreign language class, it was one that her counselor recommended to fill up her schedule. A class that the counselor had to reserve for her with the amount of students, male and female, who lined up to take the class for no other reason than to stare at Oliver Queen’s countenance.

            “Go talk to him,” Caitlin insisted.

            “No,” Felicity vehemently denied. “What would I even say? I barely talk to him in class.”

            “Forget it, Caitlin. She’s not going to do it. Felicity’s too chicken to talk to Professor Sexy.” Iris rolled her eyes dramatically.

            “Then you do it,” Felicity told her friend.

            “Barry wouldn’t like it,” Iris told her with a wink. “I might not come back.”

            Felicity sighed and reached for her drink only to discover that she had emptied it.

            Caitlin nudged her own drink it Felicity’s direction. “Drink.”

            Grimacing at the milky, pink concoction, Felicity asked, “Why?”

            “Because you’re thirsty and I need to pee. I don’t want to have it thrown away after I paid six dollars for it.”

            Felicity hesitantly raised the drink’s straw to her lips. She was pleasantly surprised to find it fruity. Only, once the drink was gone, Felicity began to realize that going to the bathroom didn’t seem like such a bad idea. “I’ll go with you.”

            The two girls linked arms and made their way toward the bathrooms when Felicity’s head began to swim. She wasn’t used to liquor. In fact, she only just turned nineteen a couple of months ago, so Felicity wasn’t a liquor drinker at all. “What was in that drink? I’m feeling fuzzy.”   

            “Oh!” Caitlin raised her hand to her mouth and stared at Felicity in concern. “I forgot to warn you that it’s more potent than you think. Sorry.”

            “No problem. I’m sure I’ll be fine once I splash some water on my face.” Or she at least hoped so.

            The two progressed closer to their destination when Felicity stumbled over someone’s feet. Two strong hands kept her from falling to the floor. Felicity apologized with a small hiccup, “Sorry.”

            “No problem,” came the deep, male reply. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

            Felicity closed her eyes savoring the richness of the guy’s voice. Oliver Queen’s voice. She had it memorized even after just five weeks’ worth of classes.

            “You okay?” He steadied her.

            Turning, Felicity came to face his wide chest. The one that now showed some skin, as he had not only loosened his tie, but had unbuttoned a few slots on his shirt. Nodding, Felicity slowly raised her head to meet his eyes. “I’m fine.”

            “Yes, you are.” His eyes trailed down her form, leaving not a single doubt that he hadn’t been referring to her welfare. Eventually, he cleared his throat and his blue eyes met hers. “I better go.”

            “Do you want to?” _Where had this boldness come from?_ It had to be the liquor. It was impairing her impeccable judgment and making her do crazy things.

            “Not really.”

            They stood there just like that. The crowd swarmed around them. Felicity tried to remember every word that she had ever learned. And considering she had been the Spelling Bee Champion for her state back when she was eight that was a lot of words. All of them abandoned her as she stood there with him so close to her. But, he seemed to have the same problem and he spoke at least two languages. Four, if rumors were true.

            Maybe it _was_ the liquor that impaired her judgment. Maybe it was the ambiance of the club. Maybe it was just because she lost her mind. But Felicity raised up on her toes, even with her high heels on, and pressed her lips to his.

            It was supposed to be brief. It was a foolish thing to do, especially considering the man was her professor and could determine her grades. However, it was far from the fleeting peck she expected.

            Their lips melded together in an imitation of a dance that they never shared. The one that Felicity never knew she wanted until now. A slow dance that made their bodies move in unison as they gyrated to the invisible beat. But as all things must, the dance ended when Oliver pulled back.

            He seemed as confused and overwhelmed as she felt. His hands that wrapped around her arms were somewhere between a push and a pull. Felicity watched as his eyes shuttered. When they reopened sense had reappeared. She wished it could be that easy for her. Her own body still shuddered from the contact, craving more.

            “I need to go.” Oliver let her go. “Miss Smoak.”

            With a nod of his head, he walked away and straight out the doors to the club. The area in which Felicity stood was raised above the main floor, so she was able to see him go even with the crowd that surrounded her.

            “Are you okay?” Caitlin reappeared at her side.

            “I don’t think okay will describe me anytime soon,” Felicity told her before she made a beeline for the bathroom.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Sleepless and hung-over were not the best of combinations. One was attributed to the amount of liquor he consumed. The other had much more to do with the blonde who had kissed him at Verdant. The same one he was supposed to see in class later that night.

            Turning over, Oliver pulled the extra pillow on his bed on top of his head. It didn’t diminish the image of her because it had been imprinted on his brain. And that didn’t even cover the feel of her lips under his.

            He could still see her even with his eyes covered. Her long, slim legs under the bright, red dress. Her silky, blonde hair that flowed over her shoulders. The feel of her smooth, tanned skin under his fingers.

            The pillow quickly changed positions from on top of his head to between his knees as Oliver tried to contain the rising desire that heated his blood. His hips thrust into the softness. He needed to do something to release all the pressure that had built up inside him. But, more than that he needed sleep. He needed the rest to allow his brain to be refreshed enough to process all that had happened.

            How the hell was he supposed to teach today if he couldn’t even concentrate?

            Oliver begged sleep to overtake him. He promised up everything he could think of to forget all that had happened earlier that night. Sometime after four in the morning, his constant pleas were answered and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Felicity slumped down in her seat. Just two hours and she’d be free. It wasn’t like she sat in the front of the class. She could try to avoid all eye contact. Or so she hoped.

            The door to the class opened and their professor walked in. He set his briefcase down on this desk with an air of tiredness that Felicity understood after the restless night she had. Professor Queen picked up a pen and turned to the whiteboard, writing his instructions for that night’s class.

            Felicity turned to the page he wrote on the board and groaned. He wanted them to work on the brief conversations they had learned with a partner. Turning quickly, Felicity tried to hook up with the boy to her right, but he was already talking to the girl on the other side of him. The girl in front of Felicity paired up with the guy in front of her and the girl who usually sat behind Felicity hadn’t shown up today, leaving Felicity to envy her.

            Searching the room, Felicity felt doom consume her. Everyone in the room was paired up with a partner, save her.

            “Is there a problem, Miss Smoak?” Professor Queen stared up at her from the front of the class. The first real direct contact that they had every really had in class, other than a question or two.

            “I don’t have a partner,” Felicity barely mumbled.

            “Excuse me?” He took a couple of steps in her direction. “I didn’t hear you.”

            “I don’t have a partner,” Felicity said loud enough for him to hear this time. “Can we be in groups of three?”

            The girl in front of Felicity waved her arm wildly. “Toby wouldn’t mind working with her. He volunteered to do it. I can work with you, Professor.”

            Toby seemed shocked by this knowledge. His eyes shot between the three of them. “I did?”

            Professor Queen’s own eyes assessed the situation. For the briefest of moments Felicity could see a glimmer of hope that he might accept her offer. Instead, he shook his head and waved the girl down. “You’re fine with your current partner, Miss Angelson. But thank you for your offer.” He held up a finger. “Hold on, Miss Smoak. Let me get the class started.” Oliver walked over and picked up a chair from the side of the room with ease and settled it by his desk. “Please come down here and we’ll get started shortly.”

            Felicity swallowed hard. Maybe she had a cold coming on. That would be a great reason to leave the class early. She raised a hand to her forehead. No fever. _Frack_!

            Oliver gave the students instructions on how to proceed but Felicity barely listened as she gathered up her things to head down to his desk. How could she? It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since they shared that kiss. One that she could only hope that he had forgotten about. Maybe a lot of students tried to kiss him. Maybe it was forgettable. Maybe…

            Her other excuse was lost when blue orbs of fire met hers. Professor Queen approached her, waving her down. Not into the chair he brought over, but his own. “Please sit.”

            The fever Felicity wished for earlier suffused her. Only this time it was because of the rush of blood that swept through her. His eyes seemed to consume her as his body separated her from the rest of the class. His body seemed tense and yet there was something about it that made her wonder if it was because he wanted to touch her more than run away from what had happened between them.

            His tongue rattled off some Russian that she hadn’t learned yet. It sounded like something one would hear from the mouth of your lover in the aftermath of a world-shattering orgasm. But that couldn’t be right. Even if the rumors were true that he slept with some of his students, there was no way that he’d ever be interested in her. Felicity wasn’t the kind of person who drew attention. There was a reason for that. A deep one.

            Professor Queen waited for her to sit before he encircled the desk to stand by her side. A tan finger pointed at the passage. “Why don’t you start first?”

            Felicity almost swallowed her tongue when he leaned in and his hip brushed against her arm that rested on the side of his chair. Closing her eyes, she tried to find some semblance of composure so that she could actually make it through class. She could manage to have a normal conversation with her professor. Sure, it was one that she made the mistake of kissing, but she could do this.

           

            Oliver Queen stared down at the girl in his chair. She seemed so much smaller in the large, leather chair. And nervous.

            Her breath was ragged. Her body tense. Her eyes a deep, brilliant blue each time she looked up at him like he was someone she should be scared of. Not that he wasn’t. She had no idea of who he really was or of his past. Hardly anyone did. If she did know the truth, Felicity would most likely run and never show up in his class again. Most of the class would.

            There would always be a few who would stay. The ones who reveled in the horrors. The ones who were attracted to danger. But that’s why his past was a closely guarded secret. It was also why there were so many rumors of who and what he was. People loved to speculate. They loved to believe what they wanted and disregard the things that they didn’t want to know. Oliver knew that for a fact. His parents and Laurel did it on a regular basis. Only Thea knew and gave him the leeway to be who he was without any censure, without pretending it didn’t all happen.

            Felicity nervously began the conversation. He had to correct her pronunciation multiple times. Still, he was impressed by what she had picked up thus far. Felicity might never be able to sound Russian, but there was hope that she would learn it. Unlike over half of his class this semester. Classes, he corrected.

            Majority of his classes consisted of students who never had any intention of really learning the language. He was well aware of that fact. He was also aware of the fact that eighty percent of the students were there for him. His name. His reputation. His looks. All of those factors made him one of the most popular teachers at Starling City University. And SCU took advantage of that fact regularly by promoting his picture on billboards and student packets. It was something he was used to after three years of working here.

Felicity closing her book caught his attention. “Miss Smoak?”

            Her eyes raised to his. She had to turn her head slightly to the side in order to do so. “Class is over.” She nodded to the students who were also packing up for the night.

            “So, it is.”

            Oliver moved to the side so that Felicity could push back his chair and rise. He wanted nothing more than to strap her there with the tie he wore around his neck. The same one he had on the night before. He wanted to push up the navy blue pencil skirt she had on and bury his face between her legs just to breathe in her scent.

            _God! What was wrong with him?_ He had never acted this way with a student before, no matter what the rumors might hint at. What was it about Felicity Smoak that made him have such improper thoughts? Thoughts that he never thought about in regard to another woman in his life. Never once was he into bondage. Not after what he experienced, but with her, he wanted it. Craved it. Needed it.

            “Goodnight, Professor.”

            “Miss Smoak.” Oliver nodded at her. He would have asked her to stay if another student, one who actually was in his class to learn, didn’t approach and begin to ask some relevant questions regarding the lesson they had just gone through.


	2. Ask Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver Queen propositions Felicity with an offer she's not sure she should refuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for your interest in this story since it was just a quick idea. This is for Week 14's Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon prompt Ask. 
> 
> And thank you to missmeagan666 as always.

**Ask Me**

Felicity had avoided Verdant since the night she ran into Oliver Queen, much to her friends’ disapproval. Which meant that she missed girls’ night out on Monday night, when they’d get out and gripe about their weekend. Last Thursday had been a one off only due to Felicity being out of town the following week for their usual night out.

            Now, she stood hesitantly outside the club. Barry had asked her to stop by to drop off a copy of her Chemistry notes from the day before. He had missed class because he had an issue with the job interview he had gone to running over.

            Felicity had sent him a text over five minutes ago to let him know she was there, but she had yet to receive a response. And she didn’t feel like paying the twenty dollar cover charge to get in just to be there for two minutes. It wasn’t like she could stay, because she had to finish developing some code for one of her classes.

            Pulling her phone from the back pocket of her jeans, Felicity decided to text Iris. Maybe she would at least pay attention to her phone. No, a group text would be better. Felicity plugged in both contact numbers and was about to press send when a male voice startled her.

            “What does Barry need?”

            Felicity glanced down at her text before turning to the deep voice who had asked the question _. I have what Barry needs. Send him out and I’ll give it to him._ Felicity blushed red as her eyes met Professor Queen’s. “Chem notes. He needs Chemistry notes. From yesterday.”

            “Maybe you should give them to him then.” His voice which had sounded affronted before now held a tinge of humor.

            “I’m waiting for him to come out.” At Oliver’s amused chuckle, Felicity found herself smacking at his arm. “Not like that. Barry’s straight.”

            Oliver glanced around the milling crowd of party goers. “This isn’t the best neighborhood to be alone, Miss Smoak.”

            Felicity let her own eyes roam the crowd. Not one of them seemed like they would do her any harm. Maybe a drunken proposition or two, but nothing she had not handled before. College could be rough. She knew that more than most seeing as she was nineteen and college senior. “They seem harmless enough.”

            Her professor leaned closer. Close enough that the small hairs by her ears moved at his words. “It’s the harmless looking ones that are the most dangerous.”

            Letting out a nervous laugh, Felicity turned completely so she faced him. “Maybe it’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

            A smile touched upon his lips revealing a dimple that she had only seen glimpses of thus far. It made her falter, because staid Professor Queen was intimidating enough. This… Oliver Queen without the façade of his professor status was devastating. He definitely lived up to the name Professor Sexy at that moment. But there was one thing wrong thinking like that. She was pretty sure he was flirting with her as he pretended to warn her of the dangers that surrounded them.

            “You still haven’t sent your provocative text,” he reminded her nodding toward her phone.

            “It’s not provocative.”

            “If I read that, I’d be expecting more than notes when I came out here,” he told her. “Especially as a straight male.”

            Felicity tucked her notebook under her arm and placed her one of her hands on her hip. “And what exactly would you be expecting?”

            Oliver tapped her on the end of her nose. “If you have to ask that question, you’ve definitely been dating the wrong guys.”

            A blush suffused Felicity. She felt it spread across her entire body. It went even farther when she felt him touch her arm. “What are you doing?”

            “Leading your inside,” he said matter-of-factly, almost as one would talk to a child who did not understand.

            “I’m not going to be here long enough to pay the…”

            Blue eyes met hers. They pierced the words from her mouth. She could feel the stranglehold he had over her throat. It made its way up into her brain as if he could reach through her and clear her thoughts. “Who said you were paying?”

            Oliver directed her to the bouncer, skipping past the line of people who waited in line for entrance. He held up two fingers and the man easily nodded. The bouncer lifted the barrier for them to enter, closing it directly after they passed through.

            “That was a neat trick,” Felicity noted.

            Oliver only smiled softly at her. “My sister owns the place. And I’m one of her major investors.”

            Felicity shot him a disbelieving look. “On a professor’s salary? Maybe I need to change my major.”

            He only laughed and leaned in closer so he could talk in her ear now that they had entered and the music vibrated around them. “You have no idea how rich I am, do you?”

            “Should I?”

            “Queen Consolidated ring any bells?”

            Felicity stopped short causing him to do the same. “Wait. You’re _the_ Oliver Queen.”

            Oliver laughed heartily. “I don’t remember the word _the_ on my birth certificate, but yeah.”

            “Oh, frack!”

            She backed away from him but he only followed. “I… I applied to them for a job after I graduate.”

            “Want me write a recommendation?” he teased with twinkling blue eyes. “Let’s see. Dear Robert Queen, I mean Dad, Felicity Smoak has been an amazing student…”

            “Stop.” Felicity held her hand to his lips. The feel of them moving made her body shiver, but she needed him to stop talking.

            Gently pulling her hand from his mouth, Oliver told her, “I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.”

            “There is no good part,” Felicity denied. “You barely know me.”

            Oliver swung the two of them around so that they were inside a private corner of the club. “Let’s change that.”

            “I don’t think…”

            His eyes dropped to her lips before coming up to penetrate her own. “I’m not asking you to think, Miss Smoak. You do enough of that as it is.”

            “What are you asking?” Felicity needed clarification. Her brain raced over their conversation. It could not quite process exactly what he was implying.

            “I’m not asking,” he denied. “I’m offering up an opportunity that not too many women get. A chance to find out more about me. All I ask in return is the chance to find out more about you.”

            Gulping hard, Felicity nodded. This wasn’t exactly something she could turn down. “Where and when?”

            “Here. Tomorrow.”

            “We have class,” she reminded him before swallowing hard again. “Together.”

            Oliver leaned into her. “And after that, we’ll be here. _Together_.”

            “It’s a club. People will see us.” Felicity didn’t need people talking about her and she could not see him as the type to jeopardize his job. Otherwise, he would not be asking her to meet him somewhere off campus.

            “You’d be surprised how effectively someone can hide inside a crowd. Not one person will notice.” The side of his lips tilted upwards. “Unless you tell them.”

            “Sir.”

            Oliver glanced over Felicity’s head. “One second, Digg.”

            Felicity took a look over her shoulder at the new person. A large, black male stood there in a dark suit. Despite his relaxed stance, the man seemed very alert of everything that surrounded them. “Friend of yours?”

            When Oliver shook his head, he let out a soft chuckle. “Not exactly.” Oliver waved the man closer. When Digg was standing next to them, Oliver began introductions. “Felicity, this is John Diggle, my…”

            Felicity noticed that Oliver trailed off and looked hopefully at Diggle.

            “Bodyguard,” Diggle picked up. “Temporarily.”

            There was a brief nod that passed between the two men before Oliver relaxed again. “John, this is one of my students, Felicity Smoak.”

            At the word student, the edges of Diggle’s eyes hardened. His lips quickly followed, but he fought through it and gave her a charming smile. Diggle reached out to shake her hand. “Miss Smoak.”

            “Mr. Diggle.” Felicity felt the strength of John Diggle’s hand as it encompassed her own. This was not a man that she would want to mess with. It didn’t matter how charming the demeanor he presented was. Felicity bet Oliver would not have been worried about her outside if someone like Mr. Diggle was at her side.

            “John will arrange for the bouncers to know of your arrival tomorrow. All you will have to do is give them your name and you will be granted entry _. Any day_ that you come.” Diggle nodded once and walked away. Apparently, he heard what he was supposed to do and went to follow through on the orders given.

            “Why do you need a bodyguard?”

            “Why don’t we save our questions for tomorrow?” Oliver nodded down at the notebook in her hand that she had almost forgotten about. “I believe you have some notes to drop off. We wouldn’t want Larry to get lost in Chemistry.”

            “It’s Barry. But, yes. You’re right.”

            Oliver leaned down and Felicity could almost taste his lips on hers. Instead they grazed her ear as he whispered, “Goodnight, Felicity. Sleep well.”

            Felicity shuddered as he walked away. The implication was clear in his words. If she came here tomorrow night she might not be sleeping at all.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Oliver was never early, which usually caused a point of contention with his employers at SCU. However, over the past couple of years, they had gotten used to the situation. Only because of his excellent track record with drawing in the student numbers to their sacred institution. Today, Oliver did what was almost unthinkable. He arrived early to his Russian night class.

            Anticipation had been running rampant through him all day. Thoughts of Felicity left him wanting and anxious. Now, he could at least see her. Even if he had to keep himself in check for the next two hours while he taught his class.

            He watched his students file in. Sometimes they entered individually other times in pairs. Not one of them were Felicity. By the time Oliver was supposed to begin teaching, he was on edge. She still had not shown up. The pencil in his hand snapped.

            Frustrated, Oliver threw the broken wood in the trash next to his desk and rose. The time ticked over past seven and she still was not there. Oliver silently let out every curse word he knew. He had to compose himself so he could teach the class. This was apparently Felicity’s answer to his proposition. She didn’t want to be with him.

            It shouldn’t be a surprise. There weren’t many people who wanted to deal with the new Oliver Queen. Ever since his return people slowly gravitated away from his orbit. They were too afraid of the man he had become.

            Picking up the dry erase marker he preferred to use, Oliver began to teach. He was halfway through class when the door opened. A frazzled Felicity Smoak swept in like a hurricane. Oliver wanted to rush over and ask what happened. He did not even know that she could be this disheveled.

            Her hair was sticking out in all direction despite the fact that she tried to smooth it back down. Her blouse was partially untucked from her skirt. The one that was smudged with dirt. The black heels she wore were scuffed so badly that they were practically on their way to the local thrift shop or the trash.

            “Miss Smoak.” He nodded at her curtly. “You’re late.”

            Oliver hated the fact that he had to treat her like that when he really wanted to make sure she was okay. They had not even shared any sort of relationship outside of this classroom, other than their brief interactions, and already he felt the need to protect her. To keep her safe from all that surrounded her. But he could not let any of that show in such a public setting.

            “I’m sorry, Professor Queen,” Felicity was quick to apologize. “My car broke down and I began to walk here while I waited for a friend to pick me up and drive me the rest of the way. Only she had an accident when her tire blew. So, I ended up having to walk the rest of the way.”

            _Damn it._ Oliver bit the inside of his lip so that his frown remained. He could not let his concern show. This would not happen again. After tonight, he’d give her his number and Digg’s. Felicity would not be put in this kind of situation again. “Take a seat, Miss Smoak. You’ve interrupted the class long enough.”

            “Sorry,” she mumbled, hanging her head. Felicity scurried over to her desk. She looked hurt by his words, but there was nothing he could do about it. Not right now. He had to treat her same as he would any other student. Only Oliver had never felt the pull that he felt with her with any other student.

            If he could have, Oliver would have thrown every last person out of the room to hold her. He clenched the book in his hand so hard that it snapped closed, making several students, including Felicity jump. It did do one thing. It brought everyone’s attention forward, away from the woman who did not need their censure. Anyway, the book didn’t matter. He had already memorized the entire text. And Russian from a textbook wasn’t exactly the way to learn. Tossing it on his desk, Oliver began to roam the room as he had the students repeat after him.

            Oliver made sure Felicity was not the first person he made his way to. And he wouldn’t make her the last either. Both would only draw more attention to her. But somewhere in the middle, Oliver found himself behind her. Briefly, he brushed his hand over her shoulder before letting them find their way to the back of her chair.

            Even in her disheveled state, Felicity still gave off the essence of honeysuckle. Though there was also a tinge of sweat. He gripped the chair hard. His knuckles hurt at the pressure. There was no way he could move just yet. The combination of smells had sent his senses into a fog of lust. This was how he pictured Felicity to smell after a bout of lovemaking.

            His tongue licked his lips. It really wanted to lave at her soft skin, but there was still twenty minutes left of class. Reining in his lust-filled thoughts, Oliver began to roam again. Out of the side of his eye, he noticed Felicity’s own nose flare as he passed.

            _Soon_. The mantra played in his head the rest of the class.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Felicity rose from her desk. The only other student in the class was the girl in front of her. Tina Angelson. The girl looked up at Felicity and smirked.

            “You pissed off Professor Sexy. Way to go.” Tina shrugged at her before swinging her backpack around onto her shoulders. The added weight pulled the already low neckline of her shirt even lower. Someone had gone without a bra that night and it wasn’t Felicity. “At least that’s one less person between me and getting my hands on that perfect ass of his.”

            Closing her eyes, Felicity tried her best not to let a vision of Oliver’s ass come to mind. If he had his way, she’d soon be trying to hold back a memory of how good it looked naked. When she opened them again, Tina was making her way down to Oliver’s desk.

            He sat there organizing some notes and papers. When Tina leaned down offering up a perfect shot of her naked breasts, Oliver met her eyes head on. Felicity had no idea what he said to her, but Tina stood quickly, shifting her backpack so her shirt would not be so revealing. There was anger and hurt in her features as she made her way out.

            “Goodnight, Miss Angelson,” Oliver called out to her. “I’ll see you Friday evening.”

            Well, that was clear enough and extremely dismissive. It also made Felicity hesitate. Maybe he really was mad at her. She had not meant for her car to break down. And when Caitlin called to say her tire blew, Felicity knew she was going to be late for class. None of it had been planned. In fact, Felicity had hoped to arrive at class early so she could compose herself before she had to face the man who had made his intentions clear.

            He wanted her. Felicity had yet to wrap her brain around that. Even after an entire night of tossing and turning. But, after today, maybe things had changed.

            “Miss Smoak.” Oliver’s voice cut through the silence that had descended within the room. “Join me please.”

            Swallowing hard, Felicity grabbed her purse and bag and made her way down to his desk. Her heels echoed as she walked. “Yes, Professor Queen?”

            His eyes shot up from his paperwork to her. They held an intenseness that made her shiver. It was like with only a look he could caress her. The curve of his lip let her know that he was well aware of her reaction. “Diggle will be waiting for you at the south entrance.”

            “I can get a ride from Iris. She’s coming to pick up Caitlin anyway.”

            “You’re okay letting a friend, or two, wonder why you are going to a club? Alone.” Oliver’s eyes were inquisitive. His hands folded in front of him. “Unless, you weren’t planning to attend your late appointment this evening.”

            “Well, with my car… I mean… I wanted to come, but my car… Then when I came in…” Felicity faltered. She had to take a deep breath. In that space of time Oliver’s eyes flickered down to her lips, then her expanded chest before they returned to her own. “I would have no way of getting home.”

            Oliver rose from his chair and came around the large desk. His hand swept back her electrified hair. Under his ministration, the strands finally settled. His large hand wrapped around the back of her head and he stepped forward. “Is that the only reason?”

            Felicity nodded.

            “There will be a car titled over to you by morning,” he told her as if people gave people cars every day of the week.

            This time she shook her head. “I only need to get my car fixed. I’ve been meaning to. The brake pedal keeps sticking. I was at a stop sign and it did it again and when I tried to go the brakes were grinding. I couldn’t drive like that.” Felicity felt the need to reiterate, “It only needs to be fixed.”

            “Let Diggle know where it is. I’ll have my _mechanic_ look into it.” His use of the word mechanic almost sounded sarcastic. “He owes me a favor. It will be ready by morning.”

            “Wow. I guess it helps to be rich,” Felicity said in awe. “I barely can afford lunch. Or breakfast.”

            Oliver smiled at her. “No. It helps that people owe you favors that you can call in. And you won’t have to worry about breakfast.”

            Was that because he planned for her to miss it? Or because he planned for her to be with him as they ate together? Her throat went dry at the thought of either option. She could not believe she was seriously contemplating this. It wasn’t like her at all.

            “So, will the car be delivered to your house or the club?” Oliver picked up his phone from the desk. “I’ll need to let my mechanic know.”

           

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter is in the works of being written for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon's prompt Choose.


	3. Only One Way To Choose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver decide to proceed with their plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the great response to this story. And thank you to missmeagan666 for making sure things are great to send out all of you in on a timely basis.

**Only One Way To Choose**

            Felicity was left with a choice. She had to choose between going home or spending the night with Oliver Queen.

            She was nervous. Felicity could not recall a time in her life where a decision was so critical. _What if she went home?_

            “You’re more than welcome to take that option. I will not force you, Felicity.” She gulped hard as he met her eyes. She had no idea she spoke out loud. Oliver reached out and swept a hand across her hair smoothing down a wayward strand. “I want this, but if you don’t, just say no.” His eyes narrowed on her. They pierced through the nervousness she felt and drew out some of the courage that she had long since buried deep within her. “At any time. Just say no.”

            “I want to…”

            “You’re scared,” he noted with no censure. “I am, too,” he admitted. “I don’t do this. And I especially do not do this with my students. I don’t care what the rumors say.” Oliver pocketed the phone that still lay in his palm. “Talk to me, Felicity. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

            “Why me?”

            “Honestly?” When Felicity nodded, she saw him smile. “I wasn’t asking you. I was more surprised that you don’t already know.”

            “Enlighten me.” Felicity pushed back her glasses as her eyes swept over the man in front of her. He was easily one of the best looking men she had ever met in her life. And for the life of her, he was actually interested in her. “I’m not exactly your type.”

            She expected him to deny it. Most guys would. They’d wax poetic about how she was the epitome of beauty just to get her, or any girl, into their bed. Guys like Oliver Queen, who was rumored to be one of the worst party boys in Starling City in his youth.

            “Maybe that’s the point.” His arm swept around her and pulled her flush to his heated body. “I kept looking for my type. Each time I found her, I was disappointed. Then the last few years, I stopped looking. What was the point?” Oliver lifted one of his shoulders in an imitation of a shrug. “The woman I wanted wasn’t any of those women. Then I walked into class one day, and there you were. Nothing like I expected, but what I wanted. Smart, beautiful, clever. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since you kissed me.”

            “You kissed me.”

            Oliver smiled down at her. The brightness of it almost blinding. His dimples slashed through his cheeks in such deep indents that Felicity was worried if she tried to put her finger in one it would become lost. “Since we kissed each other.”

            “According to everything I’ve heard, you’ve slept with countless numbers of students. Why should I believe that I am any different?”

            “Male and female, I presume.” At her nod, Oliver let out a harsh laugh. “More like students who wished it happened. Not one of them could tell you one identifying mark on my body.”

            Felicity’s eyes touched upon the mole that sat below his lower lip, still visible despite the scruff he sported. Oliver leaned into her, his lips brushing her ear. “Besides that.” His tongue shot out and ran slightly down the edge of her ear. “You can laugh at them all. You’ll know.”

            “I don’t know if I am ready,” Felicity practically said into his shoulder as he continued to lave at her earlobe. She shivered at the sensations he created within her.

            She felt him nod, as he swept her hair further back so his tongue could continue his onslaught on her neck. “We’ll take it slow then.”

            Felicity heard him groan before he pulled himself away and stepped back completely releasing her. Her wet skin making her cold. He held up his hands. “No touching then.” He might have told her that but his eyes sparkled with a mischief that made him look younger than she had ever seen him. “Unless you can’t keep your own hands to yourself.”

            She shook her head and rolled her eyes at his teasing comment before turning serious. “Do you promise?”

            “Yes.” His expression grew tight, but he inclined his head. “If I said I won’t touch you, I won’t.” He walked over to gather his things together, almost shoving them into his bag. She watched him take a shuddering breath before he faced her slightly. “Tonight we’ll just get to know each other.”

            There was a pause. Felicity could feel the air humming around them before he spoke again. “Are you okay with that, Felicity?”

            “Yes.”

            He turned and began to step toward her again but stopped abruptly. His hands went down to the desk. They curled around the edges, his knuckles turning white with the force. “Diggle is waiting for you. I’ll see you soon.”

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “Where to?” Diggle asked her as he held open the back door of a black town car.

            “He didn’t tell you?” There was no need to say his name. They both knew of who she referred to. Honestly, she was surprised. She thought for sure that Oliver would have told Diggle to drive her to the club. Diggle already knew she was supposed to be there after last night. He was the one who told the bouncers after all.

            “Mr. Queen only said that your car broke down and that you needed a ride.”

            That left Felicity once more with the ability to choose her fate. Oliver had done this on purpose. He wanted to make sure she was completely on board with whatever it was that he had planned for the two of them at Verdant.

            It really didn’t matter. She was already told Oliver that she was okay being with him despite her reservations. It wasn’t like she was going to sleep with him, though when she had arrived at class today, she felt sure that would have been the outcome.

            But, if Oliver didn’t want to sleep with her _yet_ , that left Felicity with the question of what would happen to her car. Oliver said it would be ready for her by morning. Which brought to mind another question. Why would it be brought to the club? It wasn’t like they’d hang out there all night long. Or could they? Oliver did say his sister owned it. But, if he wanted to have sex with her, when and where had he planned for that to happen? Felicity was not an exhibitionist by any means and she hadn’t read any reports of Oliver doing something like that in any of the papers since his return.

            Resolute in her decision from earlier, even if that left her with so many more question, Felicity gave Diggle the answer he waited for. “Verdant.”

            He nodded once and indicated the backseat. Felicity slid inside and he shut the door behind her with a snap. Luxury cars did not seem to have the same loud slamming sound that her older car was capable of.

            Diggle went around the car and stepped into the driver’s seat with efficiency. He casually pulled out SCU with an ease that Felicity envied. She was still a nervous driver. It was when they were on the highway, on the way toward the Glades that Felicity knew that her destiny was sealed.

           

            Diggle glanced in the rear view mirror at the small blonde in the backseat of the Queen family’s town car. She seemed unsure. Not as much as Diggle was, though. He didn’t know what his friend had planned for this woman, but whatever it was it could not be good for either of them.

            Felicity was a child playing with matches. While Oliver held a ticking time bomb in his hands. Both could, and probably would, be hurt. Diggle could only hope that the path they decided to walk on would not lead to any of their deaths.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            It was Oliver who almost ended it all before anything had even begun.

            He stood across Verdant studying her as she stood off to the side desperately trying to blend into the raucous crowd that surrounded her. She failed miserably.

            Her pureness and innocence radiated off her in spades. It wasn’t until she left his class that night that he decided to look up her file in the school’s system. Oliver had reasoned with himself that it was to know more about her going into tonight. A little bit of insight into the brilliant mind that was Felicity Smoak.

            He’d keep the promise he made to her earlier tonight to keep his hands off. Mainly because he now knew the truth of her age. Oliver was already well aware of how intelligent she was. He could glean that well enough without the added benefit of test scores and transcripts. But her age had surprised him. Oliver would have never guessed that she was only nineteen, despite the purity she radiated.

            It was exactly that incorruptibility that drew him in. He had not been that innocent in a very long time. Even in the stupidity of his youthful transgressions, he had been more pure of heart than he ever could be again. But just being near Felicity made him ache to taste it again. To be nothing more than the Oliver Queen he tried to project to the world. The one that his family still tried to believe he was.

            Felicity did not need him in her world. To slip some of his darkness into the bright light she gave off to everyone she came into contact with. Even Digg had commented on it. His text warning Oliver off from doing whatever ill-advised thing he had planned had greeted Oliver as he handed his car off to the valet upon his arrival at Verdant.

            “What caught your interest?” Thea asked as she sidled up next to Oliver at the railing of the VIP level of the club.

            Oliver nodded in Felicity’s direction. “Her.”

            “Ah.” Thea nodded and a small smile graced her features. “Felicity Smoak.”

            Oliver faced his sister curious over her response. “You know her?”

            Thea shrugged. “I know of her.” She smiled more fully at him. “She comes in here at least once a week with some friends. But, I didn’t pay much mind to her until someone added her to the list of VIP guests that my bouncers have.” Thea’s smile turned wicked and taunting as she glanced between the two of them. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

            Winking at his sister, Oliver own features lightened from the frown that had been there before as he contemplated his future moves in regard to Felicity. Facing the railing, Oliver stared down at the woman who had held his interest for a while now. “What do you think about her?”

            “In general? Or…?”

            “Or,” Oliver responded. He knew where his sister had been going with her lost question. It generated from her concern over him. She had been pushing him to find someone to share himself with. Someone who wasn’t Laurel. Thea could see the toxicity that revolved around the two of them. Most of which had to do with their past, where Oliver followed every lead that he could to cheat on her. Probably because he had never been truly happy inside the relationship to begin with.

            Thea leaned on the railing studying the blonde thoroughly. She reminded Oliver a lot of their mother when she did it. Their mother never seemed to miss anything, especially when it came to her children.

            After a long, hard look, Thea shook her head and what was left of Oliver’s resolve to continue with the affair sunk. “She doesn’t know what she’s getting into, Ollie.” Thea turned and grabbed onto Oliver’s arm, squeezing it as she normally did when she tried to reassure him. “But, I think she’s what you need. You’re not your past, Ollie.”

            “Yes, I…”

            Thea shook her head. “No, you’re not. Even if you think that you are still surrounded by it.” She pushed forward and hugged him. The feel of her arms around him reminded him that there could be human connection that didn’t always cause people to be hurt. “I know you have your secrets, Ollie. They are a part of you, as much as your past is, but they don’t define you. They never will.” Thea pulled back and glanced back over at Felicity, nodding in her direction. “If you don’t hurt her, she could be the best thing that ever happened to you. Something, Laurel, as much as I love her, will never be.”

            With another soft smile and a squeeze of his hand, his sister took off. Oliver wondered what happened to her while he was away that made her so wise. Or maybe it wasn’t just one thing. Maturity kept coming to her with each new experience that life threw at her. The club. Their parents’ divorce. The discovery that Tommy’s father was her own. And now Roy.

            Oliver smiled to himself. Nothing seemed to break his sister. Instead it all made her stronger. Just as his experiences had made him.

            Making his way down the stairs, Oliver pulled his phone out of his suit jacket and shut it down. Nothing was more important than his meeting with Felicity. Nothing. Not even Bratva business.

            Oliver approached Felicity from behind. He reached out and was about to pull her close to his chest to savor the feel of her against him, when he remembered his promise. No touching. Not tonight. If he touched her, things would combust quickly and he wanted to take things slow with her. He needed to enjoy this because there was something different about her. Oliver needed to savor that feeling, not burn it out.

            “Miss Smoak,” he gritted out gruffly.

            She spun in his direction, a hand at her throat. “Professor.”

            Shaking his head, Oliver stepped closer. Close enough to smell her even with all the overwhelming scents that radiated off the people around them. “Call me Oliver.”

            “Oliver.”

            The sound of his name off her tongue almost made him break every promise he made to her and himself. He wanted desperately to hear her scream it at the top of her lungs as he surged into her. Shaking his head, Oliver realized there was still plenty of time for that. Later. “Come with me.”

            “Where are we going?” she asked as she trailed behind him through the Wednesday night crowd.

            “Here.” Oliver directed her over to a hidden door. Keying in the code, Oliver reached inside the door and turned on the stair light. “After you.”

            He saw her glance over her shoulder back toward the crowd. Her indecision lay heavy between them. Oliver had to take a deep breath as he awaited her denial. “It’s okay if you still want to leave.”

            “No, I’m fine,” she said with a resolve that he admired in one so young.

            After a brief peek within the door, Felicity began to make her way down the stairs and Oliver secured the door behind him following her down. When they reached the bottom, Oliver held up a finger indicating that she should wait while he turned on the rest of the lights.

 

            Felicity did not know what to think once the lights flooded the area. She had just been presented with an entire living area inside the basement of one of the most popular clubs in the city. A place where Oliver Queen spent a lot of time. Felicity may not know much about her professor other than the rumors and the news stories she spent the night reading, but what she did know allowed her to recognize the signs of him throughout the space.

            She watched him strip off his suit jacket and set it on the back of a nearby chair, as if this was his nightly ritual. He proceeded to roll up the sleeves of his light blue shirt. Oliver had not bothered with a tie that night. An interesting thing in Felicity’s mind since he always seemed to have one around his neck whenever he taught classes.

            “You live here?”

            “Sometimes,” he told her as he waved her closer into the space.

            Felicity let her eyes roam. There were a few rooms separate from the main area they stood in. One seemed to be a bathroom. Another a bedroom. Their doors were open, available to her inquisitive eyes. But, one room that lay on the opposite side of the space caught her attention. It was the only door that was closed and Felicity had a strong suspicion that it was also locked. “What’s that?”

            “My office.”

            She nodded. That made sense. Felicity tended to lock up her own things whenever she could. Her computer had an encryption code to access most files. It was something a normal person would never be able to crack. Even a world renowned hacker would have a hard time breaking in.

            Felicity walked further into what could be termed a living room. It contained a couch, a few chairs, a coffee table and a side table. There also appeared to be a television behind a prominent picture on the wall. She had seen something similar in one of her technology magazines a few months ago. But, further than that, there was a cluster of exercise equipment. Felicity nodded toward it. “You use that?”

            “I do,” Oliver told her from her side. He had approached her and she had not noticed in all her inspection of his space. She tried not to tremble at the strength of his gaze as it landed on her. “And you now have seventeen questions left, Miss Smoak.”

            “Seventeen?” Felicity asked him confused.

            “Sixteen,” he told her with a smirk. “I’d choose them much more carefully if I were you.”

            Felicity turned to face him uncertain how to proceed. If she asked him, it would use up another of her precious questions. She had to be smart about this game they were playing. One that she hadn’t been informed about fully. “I didn’t realize that we already started. Or that there were rules.”

            Oliver winked at her and slipped her purse from her shoulder. “There are always rules, Miss Smoak. Even when you don’t believe there are any.” He set her purse down on the coffee table next to them and raised his hand as if to caress her face only to drop it back down to his side. “Take the no touching rule.”

            “You implemented that one,” she reminded him.

            “So, I did.” His eyes glazed over for a moment dulling the bright blue of his gaze. It did not make him sad. No, there was something deeper. Pain. Fear. And if she wasn’t wrong, a tinge of coldness that could only be brought on by fighting through both and surviving.

            “I read that you were gone for almost two years. Where were you?”

            The normal piercing blue of his eyes returned. And so did the smirk that seemed to rest at the edge of his mouth during most of their conversations. “Hitting below the belt from the beginning, Miss Smoak. I’m impressed.”

            Felicity laid a hand on her hip. “It wasn’t meant to impress you. I just don’t know anything about you outside of what I found out on the internet.”

            Silence fell. Felicity could almost hear the pounding of the club’s music from above them. Before it seemed like the place was soundproofed from the noise, but when the quiet descended between them, she could make out at least the thumping of the bass.

            Felicity heard the intake of his breath. Maybe he was going to answer her. It made her hold her own. She tensed up preparing herself for whatever answer he was about to give her.

            “Not now. Later,” he promised as he stepped away.

            “Okay,” she agreed. Felicity racked her brain for another question. Something that had nothing to do with the time he was away. Suddenly, she remembered what he told her in the classroom. “What marks do you have on your body that none of the other students know about?”

            “Too many,” he told her with a tinge of sadness to his voice.

            “Can I see?”

            His head barely inclined before his hands began to reach up for the buttons of his shirt. Felicity swallowed hard. She wasn’t sure if she was prepared for a shirtless Oliver Queen. What she was less prepared for was the marred skin that littered his chest and side. Felicity gasped. Her feet led her directly in front of him. Her brain blanked on the no touching rule as her fingers trailed over the mottled skin.

            Knife marks. Bullet holes. Burns. Those were just the marks she recognized. Others were undistinguishable. Several overlapped. His body rippled with each swipe of her fingers. Felicity only wished that she could find a way to take the agony the away from him when he had received such devastating wounds. Her eyes raised up to his.

            There were shutters over his. Despite his body moving under her gently touches, she noticed how tense he was by the whiteness of his lips that he had pressed together. Felicity laid her palm over the largest mark, a tattoo that was imprinted over his heart. “How?”

            Oliver gentled after her question. His eyes lightened and his mouth relaxed as a gently smile came over it. “We’ll add that to the later pile.”  

           Felicity nodded. She was sure he would tell her. He did not seem like the kind of man who would easily forget or back away from a promise. Which was probably why his own hands were fisted at his sides while hers were plastered to his body.

            Her name was whispered out of his lips. He stepped closer and her hands became trapped between both of their bodies. Felicity felt every one of his breaths. Every beat of his heart. His skin as it heated under her touch.

            “Let me kiss you.” His voice was deep, needful. Blue leeched from his eyes as the pupils dilated and his lips softened under her watchful gaze.

            Felicity knew she assented but she’d never be able to remember how before his lips descended on hers. His mouth was warm and dry. His tongue burned her as it swept across her lips. They opened under the onslaught and he invited himself inside drawing her tongue into his own mouth. None of it was fast. Each move he made seemed slower than Felicity would have anticipated it would be. Deliberate. Calculated.

            She wanted to wrap her arms around him. She wanted to caress his skin as his mouth penetrated hers. She wanted to be closer to him than she already was, which was probably why her hips surged upwards almost upending her balance.

            That was when he finally touched her. His hands practically encircled her hips they were so large. But, while she had been sure they would begin to roam her body, they stayed put. Not even a finger strayed. Oliver Queen literally had more control in one little finger than Felicity Smoak had in her entire body.

            All too suddenly, he tore his mouth from hers and set her from him with an ease she admired. Her hand came up to rest on her swollen lips. Ravaged ones that ached for more. Oliver didn’t kiss, he consumed.

            “You need to go.”

            “I thought…” Felicity did not know what she thought. Not anymore. Oliver seemed to have stolen her thoughts as easily as he took her breath.

            “If you stay,” Oliver told her with a penetrating stare, “you will not leave the same person that came here.” He swallowed hard and Felicity could see him reining in his control. “You need to leave.”

            Felicity was not sure what he was even talking about. However, she refused to address it as a question and become penalized for the use of one later. Changing her course of action, Felicity asked a different one. “Do you really want me to leave?”

            “No.” He did not even bother to meet her eyes when he answered. He turned away and went to lean against the wall near the closed door. Oliver crossed his arms and hung his head, almost resolute in his decision.

            “What would happen to me if I stayed?” Felicity asked as she took a hesitant step in his direction.

            His head shot up as his eyes met hers and his nose flared. “Everything.”

            With that last statement hanging in the air, Oliver walked away from her. He went over to a section of the wall and pressed on it. A panel shot open and revealed a liquor cabinet. She watched as he pulled out a crystal cut glass and a bottle of vodka. He splashed some in and quickly downed it before pouring more. The bottle went back in and the panel closed under his large hand. His eyes raised to hers as the glass came up to his lips. “I’d fuck you until you couldn’t walk and then I’d fuck you again just because I could.”

            Felicity shivered at his bold words. He wasn’t boasting. Oliver seemed pretty sure that would be the result. She did not dare tell him that she could sense the vulnerability that lay behind the words. Felicity had a feeling that he did not want that to happen to her, but he was unsure if he could control how he would react. Which was probably what drove him to implementing his no touching rule to begin with. There was something about Oliver that screamed that as much as he could hurt her, he could also be gentle. Maybe more so than any other guy that Felicity had ever slept with. Which with her track record was a total of two. “I still have ten questions left.”

            “And I have twenty.” The liquor shot down his throat as he tossed it back. Oliver set his glass down gently on the coffee table. It did not even make a sound on the heavy wood. “But for our own peace of mind, I believe another night would be a better choice.”

            “So, you want to…” Felicity didn’t need to add, _do this again_. They both knew it hung there in the empty air. Instead, Felicity gestured toward the open door of his bedroom. If she wasn’t wrong, she could almost see a hint of red tinging his cheeks while he glanced in the direction she indicated.

            “You’d rather send me home,” Felicity continued uncertain as to why. “I don’t think ten questions will even come close to letting me get to know you.”

            Oliver stepped toward her and then hesitated. “Maybe that’s the point.”

            “Can…” Felicity cut short the question at his raised eyebrow. “I need to get home. Diggle told me that he was going to have my car towed to your mechanic.”

            Oliver nodded once and went over to his suit jacket. He pulled out his phone. It seemed that he had turned it off because it took a minute for the screen to come one. “Diggle will see to it.”

            His phone call to his bodyguard was brief and to the point. No extra words were spoken besides what was necessary. But Felicity could sense there was more to the conversation than what she actually heard. The two men almost shared a silent communication by what was left unsaid.

            When Oliver hung up, he threw the phone carelessly at the coffee table. It slid across the surface and landed next to his discarded glass. For some reason that struck Felicity as symbolic but she could not place why she would think so.

            Oliver’s eyes met hers as he approached. “Diggle will be here soon.” He nodded toward another door. It was one that she had never noticed before because it laid in a shadowy corner. “He’ll knock when he’s here.”

            Walking past her, Oliver made his way over to a piece of equipment she did not recognize. It looked like the chin up bar that they made her use back in high school, but there were levels to it. Like the bar was adjustable. But if that was what it was designed for, it left Felicity to wonder why they levels went up so high. There was no one who would be able to reach the bar if it was raised to the top. Ultimately, it made no sense.

            Oliver hopped up onto the bar, unmindful that he was still in dress pants, even if he wasn’t in much else. He made a quick move and the bar went up to the next level and him with it. Up he went to each level with an ease that Felicity envied. Not that she noticed much at all besides the rippling of his chest and arm muscles with each movement he made. She had to swallow hard to remind herself to breathe.

            The sound of a knock echoed in the space as easily as the clanging metal that Oliver produced from the equipment he was using. Felicity went to pick up her purse before she left. She glanced over at Oliver who had reached the top and was now descending the same way he had gone up. He seemed unconcerned by her movements or the knock on the door.

            “Mr. Diggle is here,” Felicity raised her voice so he could hear her over the sound of metal hitting metal.

            Oliver paused. He hung there with his powerful arms. Arms that had held her not too long ago. “Goodnight, Miss Smoak.”

            “Friday, then,” she said back to him, deliberately keeping it from being a question.

            “Friday,” he agreed.

 

            Oliver watched Felicity leave. He had been completely aware of her every second that she was in his space, no matter how hard he tried to dismiss her. But the second she was gone, it was like a vacuum. All the life had been sucked out, including his own.

            “Fuck this.” Oliver jumped down from where he hung. He needed to get this pent up energy out and the Salmon Ladder was not doing it for him tonight.

            With a steady pace, Oliver made his way over to his phone and picked it up. It only took a second to call the most memorized number in his contacts. The phone only rang once before a familiar voice picked up on the other end.

            “Ah. My favorite American. What can I do for you?”

            “Who do you need me to kill?”


	4. An Important Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver has a meeting he can't tell Felicity about, while she receives a secret summons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still can't believe the response I have been getting to this story. Wow! I just started this as a lark for a prompt. I really hadn't expected it to blow up as it has. Thank you everyone.
> 
> And thank you again to missmeagan666. She's going through a lot right now but always manages to beta my work. Thank you.

            Felicity’s eyes caught on one word. A word that would haunt her until she could get her hands on a keyboard and fix the problem.

            _Malfunction_. That’s the word her computer partner had decided to use after Felicity had spent two weeks working on it. A depressingly devastating word.

            “Gah!” Felicity kicked out at the open door in front of her and regretted it immediately as pain shot up her leg.

            “Has my door done something to upset you, Miss Smoak?”

            Felicity’s eyes lifted and hit upon Oliver who leaned in the doorway of his classroom with an amused expression. For a moment, she allowed herself to admire him. The way the suit he wore fit him perfectly over the powerful muscles that lay underneath. Muscles covered in scars that no one else realized were there. “No. It’s something else.”

            He immediately righted his position and the smile fell from his face. “What happened?”

            Holding up her phone, Felicity waved it at him. “I just received some bad news about a project I’m working on. Would you mind if I skipped class to take care of it?”

            “I would.” From his tone, Felicity guessed she had somehow upset him.

            “Oh, I didn’t know… I mean we never discussed… Were we supposed to…” Felicity had not realized that when she left on Wednesday that Friday they were supposed to get together again. She hadn’t even packed a bag or put on her better underwear.

            Oliver stepped toward her but stopped. He glanced over her shoulder and nodded at a few students who were passing them to enter the class. His voice lowered when he spoke. Not quite a whisper, but deeper and only loud enough for her to hear. “Not tonight, but soon, Miss Smoak. I’ve already made plans for this evening.”

            Felicity felt her cheeks heat up. She could not believe that she thought that she might be the only one in his life. Sure, he said he did not sleep with other students but that did not mean he did not avail himself of the company of other women. Felicity was pretty sure that they threw themselves at him, awaiting any opportunity he offered.

            He startled her when he grasped her hand and drug her across the hall to another classroom. An empty one. Oliver never bothered with the lights, but he shut them in and locked the door. It was then he grasped her by the face with one large hand. It didn’t hurt so much as scare her, especially as his blue eyes cut into hers.

            “It’s not what you think.”

            “Are you seeing another woman tonight?” Felicity tried really hard to keep her voice level and to not let any of the jealousy she felt invade the tone.

            She saw his eyes shutter but he let her go and nodded. “It’s still not what you think.”

            Felicity saw him slam his hands into the pockets of his pants. He walked away and began to pace with steady even strides. Finally, after three rounds, he sat heavily on the edge of the desk that sat in the front of the class. His head lifted and even in the dark she could make out the blueness of his eyes.

            “Come here.” His head tilted slightly to indicate she should approach.

            For a moment, Felicity thought to stand her ground, but she relented. He opened his legs and tugged her in. One of his hands lifted and she flinched slightly. It swept down her arm and she shivered in response to the softness of his touch. When he reached her hand, he pulled it toward his leg, laying it there. Now it was her who touched him.

            Oliver’s nudged her chin so she was looking at him. “I would love to spend the night with you rather that what I planned.” He shifted his leg so her hand caressed him. “Letting you touch me.” Felicity gulped slightly imagining the picture he created. “But I made a commitment. One I cannot break. Do you understand?”

            She nodded. There wasn’t much more she could do as one of his fingers traced across her lips. Her tongue followed his movement because her mouth had suddenly run dry.

            “You’re killing me.” Oliver smiled down at her. “Do you have any clue what the sight of that tongue does to me?”

            Felicity shook her head. She had no idea. What she did know what that her own body was on fire with the richness of his husky words.

            Oliver let out a gruff chuckle. “It’s probably for the best if you don’t.” There was a moment of silence that slipped between them. It hung heavy in the air before Oliver let out a groan and surged forward to capture her lips with his own.

            He fucked her lips in such a way that left her wanting more only as he proceeded to do just that. Not one sexual experience she had gave her any preparation for what Oliver was doing to her. She could do no more than cling to him like a life line in a maelstrom of lust.

            He wrapped her jean clad legs up until they encircled around his waist. Oliver rose with her wrapped around him. It made her cleave to him harder afraid of the fall. Not that there was a chance of him dropping her with the way his fingers bit into her skin. Their bodies were practically fused to one another.

            Oliver lay her back on the desk following her down. Felicity felt her hips raise up to push into his trying to find some sort of release when he pushed back from her slightly and laid a hand over her quivering lips. He rose to a standing position, his eyes closed tight. When they opened a genuine smile appeared and his dimples dug deep into his cheeks. “I would love nothing more than to continue this, but I have a class to teach and you have a project that requires your attention.”

            “You mean…” Felicity said regaining her voice. She pushed herself up on her elbows shocked. He was actually going to let her go.

            “Go.” Oliver nodded toward the door. “Fix your code. Russian in an elective anyway.” He placed his hands back in his pockets after helping her stand up. “Go.”

            Felicity launched herself at him, hugging him tight. His hands came out and held her there. “Don’t start this again, Miss Smoak. My hold is wavering.”

            She knew it had nothing to do with his grip, because she could feel the strength of his fingers against her. It had to be that part of himself that kept him in check so easily. “Thank you.”

            “You better start hacking your way out of here,” he told her with a soft smile. “And by that, I mean coughing.”

            Felicity’s own eyes began to twinkle as she faked a cough. “Good?”

            Oliver shook his head with a laugh. “You’re a terrible actor.”

            “It’s a good thing I plan to work with computers, then.” Felicity smiled up at him as he released her.

            Silently, he nodded, but she noticed his smile slipped slightly. “Go. Before I do something stupid.”

            “Like kissing the hell out of one of your students?” Felicity teased.

            “No,” his eyes turned serious and they bored into hers. “Like fucking one of my students on Old Man Redman’s desk.” Oliver let out a slight shudder. “I’d never be able to look that man in the face again.”

            “Right. We wouldn’t want that.” Felicity reached up and straightened his tie. It was criminal that he had almost had her orgasming in his arms and the only thing wrong with him was his tie needed straightening. “I have to go.”

            “I’ll see you Monday night,” Oliver said as her hand landed on the door ready to open it.

            “Monday?” Felicity asked flipping around to face him. He stood there with a wicked grin on his face and his arms crossed.

            “Yes. I believe you are already planning to be at Verdant anyway, so you can just make your way downstairs when you are finished.”

            “I can’t. I’m going to be there with some friends and…”

            “I’ll expect you promptly at eleven.” Oliver approached her. “Diggle will let you downstairs.”

            “How did you even know…?” He seemed to know about her girls’ night out with her friends and how they all left around eleven for the night. Then it hit her. “Your sister.”

            “Is a wealth of information if you ask the right questions.” Oliver took the last couple of steps so that he was directly in front of her. He opened the door with her hand under his. His head bobbed down to whisper, “And I always know just the right question to ask. And how to ask them.”

            His statement hung between them as they stood there staring at one another. Felicity could feel a surge of anticipation. She was almost obscenely looking forward to her night out more than she ever had before.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Oliver scrubbed his hands down his face in frustration. He did not get any more information from Helena Bertinelli than he had from any other person he interrogated in the last six months. It was frustrating.

            Diggle opened the car door for him as he approached. Oliver noticed his friend’s nose flare at the scent of sex that radiated off Oliver in waves, but he remained silent. Oliver glanced over at him. “I’m already aware that I need a shower.”

            “I didn’t say anything,” Diggle said with a smirk. “However,” Diggle nodded down at the car, “she might.”

            “She?” Oliver did not have long to wait to find out who Diggle referred to. Waller made her presence known the second he slid into the car.

            “Mr. Queen.”

            “Amanda.” Oliver barely spared the woman a glance. “I know no more than I did before tonight’s meeting.”

            “That’s very disappointing, Mr. Queen.” Amanda Waller brushed an invisible piece of lint from her knee-length skirt. “I had much higher hope for you.”

            “You always did,” Oliver deadpanned.

            “Yes, well, previously you were raw and untrained. Now, you have no such excuse.” Waller studied him with the deep darkness that was her eyes. It was like they could cut through you they were so sharp and cold. “I would have believed that you would have had a more vested interest in this. Sara Lance was your friend after all.”

            “I will find whoever killed her,” Oliver assured her, growing angry at her insinuation that he did not care.

            “Even if you find it is your friend Anatoly Knysev? Or…” There was a deep dramatic pause. Waller liked them. Oliver tolerated them. “Your new friend. Miss Smoak, I believe.”

            “Felicity had nothing to do with this.” Oliver pointed at Amanda in a threatening manner that she completely dismissed.

            “She just might.”

            “Doubtful.” Oliver settled back in his seat. Amanda was trying to rile him up and he had no idea why. It was better to shut down his anger because anger allowed her to have a hold over him. More than the one she already had.

            “Her hacking skills could be helpful either way.”

            “I will not involve Miss Smaok in this.” Oliver’s eyes narrowed on Amanda. “Do you understand?”

            “I understand perfectly, Mr. Queen.” Amanda smiled at him. None of her smiles ever touched her eyes. She was more mechanical than human. It made Oliver wonder, not for the first time, what had happened to her in the past that made her this way. “I understand that you brought a liability into your life at a very crucial part of our investigation.”

            “Crucial or not,” Oliver leaned forward to show Waller exactly how serious he was, “she will not be involved in this. I will kill anyone who dares. It doesn’t matter if they are A.R.G.U.S or Bratva.”

            “Be careful which people you make an enemy of, Mr. Queen. You may not care for the results.”

            Oliver slipped a gun out from his pocket and aimed it at Amanda’s head. “It’ll be really hard running A.R.G.U.S. from the grave, Amanda.”

            She smiled at him again and pushed the gun down with her hand. “Bravery can sometimes be started by stupidity.” Waller tapped on the glass between them to address Diggle who had been driving them. When the glass slipped down, Waller said, “Here’s fine, Mr. Diggle.”

            The car came to a graceful stop and Amanda slipped from the car the second Diggle opened the door. “Good night, Mr. Queen. Your next meeting will be texted to you tomorrow.”

            “Looking forward to it,” Oliver told her with an edge of sarcasm.

            Amanda leaned down slightly to peer into the car. “I’ll refrain from preempting your Monday night meeting with Miss Smoak.” She rose and began to walk away into the darkness.

            “I hate her,” Oliver said to Diggle as he slipped into the front seat of the car again. “How can Lyla work for her?”

            “We work for her,” Diggle reminded him as he started the car.

            “Don’t remind me.”

            Diggle looked at Oliver using the rearview mirror. “Where to now, boss?”

            “Home. I need a shower.”

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Felicity spent her weekend locked in code. As much as she would have liked to daydream about what might have happened between her and Oliver she was much too tired.

            “Hey.” Felicity’s head barely rose off the desk where she rested to acknowledge Barry’s voice from her open dorm room door. He laughed at her and entered. “You look exhausted. And hungry.” Barry pulled a bag from Big Belly Burger from behind his back. “Iris told me to pop in and make sure you ate.”

            Felicity’s stomach rumbled at the mention of food. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate. No wait, she could. It was dinner Friday night before she headed to her Russian class. She racked her brain because she couldn’t believe that was two days ago.

            Barry barely held the bag out to her before she attacked it. “Glad Iris told me to stop by.”

            Nodding at him, she shoved some French fries into her mouth. “Fank oo.”

            “Was that a thank you?” As she nodded, Barry laughed. “You’re welcome.” Barry tapped on her desk as he went to sit on her dorm room bed. It was the only other place to sit in her room. “How bad is it? All I got from Iris was that there was something akin to an explosion.”

            “Bad,” Felicity mumbled around her burger. “Had to rewrite the whole thing.”

            Barry glanced around. “So, where’s your partner? Shouldn’t he be here helping you out?”

            “He gave up last night.”

            Shaking his head, Barry said, “I hope you’re going to tell your professor.”

            Felicity shrugged as she took the last bite of her burger. What was the point? If she said they didn’t work on it together, they’d both fail. If she gave up, they’d both fail. Neither was an option for her. She needed this grade.

            "Are you going to make Chemistry tomorrow?” Barry finally asked when Felicity didn’t give him another response. “I know it’s the one you have before that one.” Barry waved his hand at the computer. “I can give you the notes. I owe you anyway after last week.”

            Felicity jerked the cup of soda up to her lips to block the blush that infused her cheeks at the memory. No one had been any wiser of her meeting with Oliver Queen that night. Nor the follow up meeting the night after that. “No. I’ll try to be there. I think I almost have a handle on this. Plus, by that time there won’t be much more I could do anyway.”

            “Okay. If you’re sure.” Barry seemed satisfied with that and the fact that she had finished her food. “I’d say get some rest, but I know until that’s done you won’t.”

            Barry had no idea when he left that it wasn’t the code that kept her awake. Actually, her sleepless state could be placed firmly on Barry’s shoulders.

            She finished the code easily with great results once her brain processed the food that finally went in her belly. Nourishment was a great motivator. However, once Felicity put herself to bed, all she could think about was her next meeting with Oliver. The one planned for the following night after her time spent with Iris and Caitlin.

 

OQFSOQFS

            Felicity’s nerves were raw. Ever since she woke up that day all she could think about was her evening plans and not the ones she had with Caitlin and Iris.

            “Wow! You look great tonight,” Iris said as she took in Felicity’s new dress.

            Felicity blushed slightly. It had been a last minute purchase when she popped into the mall. The bright red mini dress had screamed at her as it sat in the front window of a store across from the coffee shop where Felicity stopped to grab some nourishment during her lunch break.

            Caitlin who carried over some drinks to their table let out a low whistle. “Who are you trying to catch the attention of?”

            Felicity pouted at the both of them. “Why can’t I just look nice for myself?”

            Iris and Caitlin shared a look and busted out laughing. “Sorry,” Caitlin said as she tried to catch her breath. “That’s completely not like you.”

            “Today it is,” Felicity told them as she wrangled with her skirt so she could sit down without flashing anyone the black silk underwear she had on underneath.

            “Excuse me,” a young waitress said from the side of the table. “Are you Felicity Smoak?”

            “Yes,” Felicity answered with a bit of confusion.

            The woman pulled a drink from her tray and set it in front of her. Felicity stared at it for a moment before turning to grab the waitress’s arm. “I didn’t order that.”

            The waitress only smiled and shrugged. She pointed over to a shadowy area of the club. “It’s from her.”

            “Her?” Felicity tried to make out who it could be but there was no one there that stood out.

            “You have a her?” Iris whispered from across the table. “No judgement. I just wasn’t expecting that.”

            Caitlin slapped at Iris. “Felicity’s straight.” Her eyes shot over to Felicity and a frown creased the edges of her mouth. “You are straight, right? Because I thought after what you told me about Cooper…”

            Felicity had stopped listening. She picked up the drink and sniffed it. Nothing. Hesitantly, she placed her lips on the rim of the glass and trickled the barest amount in her mouth. Water. Someone across the club sent her a glass of water. A female someone. That was weird.

            That’s when Felicity noticed something stuck to the bottom of the glass. She had to use her nail to pry it off.

            “What’s that?” Iris asked always curious.

            “I don’t know.” Felicity realized it was a very small folded piece of paper. With careful fingers, Felicity opened it. Block letters greeted her not giving her the first clue about the person who wrote it.

            “What’s it say?” Caitlin asked leaning against the table trying to peek at the paper.

            “It’s asking me to meet her in the bathroom.”

            “Now?”

            Felicity shook her head. “No. Ten past nine.” Thirty minutes from now.

            Caitlin grabbed a hold of Felicity’s arm. “Don’t go. People saw that incident with you and the professor almost two weeks ago. It might be someone who’s jealous.”

            “But if she doesn’t go, she’ll never know who wants to talk to her,” Iris interjected. “We can all go together.” She pulled out her phone and began to type something.

            “What are you doing?” Caitlin asked her.

            “Texting Barry. If we’re going to get into a fight, I want to give him a heads up.”

            “Stop it.” Caitlin jerked the phone out of Iris’s grip. She turned and dropped it into her already packed purse. Caitlin turned back to look at Felicity. “What do you want to do?”

            “I don’t know.” It was the truth. She had no idea what to do. Part of Felicity was intrigued to see what this person wanted with her. Yet, there was another part that had Felicity shaking in fear.

            “You know what,” Iris said draining her drink and standing. “We need to forget about this for a little bit.” She tugged on both Caitlin and Felicity’s arms. “We’re going to go dance and come back and talk about this.”

            Iris placed her hands on her hips as she glared at the two of them. “There is seriously so much we need to talk about. This bathroom thing is only one of them. The rest of you,” Iris’s eyes hit Felicity’s sharply, “need to spill about your week.”

            For a moment, Felicity wondered if Iris had somehow discovered about her and Oliver. “I…”

            “Barry told me how frazzled you were over this project, Felicity. So, to let off some steam, you are going to tell us all about it.”

            “Barry talks too much,” Felicity complained.

            Iris’s deep skin turned slightly pink. “Especially at night after…”

            “Eww!” Both Caitlin and Felicity freaked.

            Felicity made choking noises. “Why did you have to tell me that? I dated him.”

            “For a week,” Iris said with a wave of her hand. “And only because I was too dumb to realize what a great thing I had. If you hadn’t dated him, I wouldn’t have seen how much he had grown up.”

            “Glad I could help,” Felicity said with a shake of her head.

            Caitlin finished off her drink and stood up, waving Felicity up with her. “Okay. Let’s go.”

            The three of them headed out to the dance floor. Felicity did not necessarily feel comfortable dancing, but she did it when there was a large enough group on the floor if her friends were with her. Luckily, Verdant was already filling up for the night. They danced to three different songs before people began to cut between them. A guy caught Caitlin’s attention and she was chatting and dancing now with the handsome brunette. Iris, the social butterfly of their group, danced with anyone and everyone.

            Separated, Felicity decided to make her way back to the table. That’s when she pulled out her phone to check the time. _Nine_. Instead of heading toward their table, Felicity changed tack and started to head toward the bathrooms. Maybe whoever wanted to see her might be early and Felicity could get this over with.

            She was almost there when a solid male arm snacked out and pulled her back against an equally solid chest. She felt the man’s breaths as it stirred her hair. Felicity knew she should be scared. There were over a hundred men in the club and this person could be any one of them. But, an inner part of her recognized exactly who it was, especially as his hand flattened across her stomach and stopped short from touching any sensitive spot on her body.

            “Two hours, Felicity,” Oliver whispered in her ear.

            She nodded before her head fell back against his chest. “I know.”

            Felicity relished the feel of him against her. She had been craving his touch all day long. And since he seemed to refuse to move, Felicity did the unthinkable and ground against him. She felt him begin to grow hard against her and the smallest of moans escaped her lips. Felicity had never been this bold, but she had never done anything like this before either.

            He grasped her by the chin and turned her head enough for him to kiss her. It wasn’t a kiss so much as a promise of things to come later if she could be just a little bolder and come to him. The kiss only ended after his teeth clasped around her bottom lip and pulled it the barest bit. The scraping sensation almost made Felicity explode right there in the middle of the club. Stars burned bright from behind her eyelids.

            Oliver’s breaths became heavy in her ear. “I don’t know if I can wait.”

            “I can’t ditch my friends,” Felicity told him turning in his arms. She traced a hand up his white dress shirt and up to his neck. He took her hand off of him and held it behind her back, making her hips arch up into his.

            “Eleven sharp.” He leaned down and swept his tongue over her lips. “If you’re not there, I’m going to come and get you and I won’t care who sees me.”

            Felicity watched him stalk away. He seemed to slip easily into the crowd and disappear, probably to his hidden lair below all of their feet.

            Fingers snapped near her face and Felicity found her friends there. Caitlin and Iris stared at her in concern. Finally, Caitlin asked, “You okay?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Did you go to the bathroom?”

            “What?” Felicity suddenly realized what Caitlin was talking about. “No.”

            Iris glanced down at the watch Barry had gotten her for her recent birthday. “You still have a chance. You’re only a minute late if you still wanted to go.”

            Felicity shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”

            “Good choice,” Caitlin said linking her arm through Felicity’s. “We’ll have a better time if we just ignore it.”

            Iris nodded her assent and Felicity agreed as well. Oliver had her frazzled enough. Eleven o’clock would come soon enough and already her heart was pumping at a furious speed.

            “Let’s go grab a drink,” Iris announced as she led them back to the table.

            None of the girls noticed the black woman who sat at a nearby table who studied them in avid interest. Her eyes tilted toward the bathroom where Felicity was supposed to be. Draining her glass of water, she rose gracefully from her seat and proceeded to head off in that direction.


	5. No More Time To Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity meet up at Verdant. Oliver has a few questions for Felicity to answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is joining me on this journey. I am so happy all of you are enjoying it.
> 
> Written for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon prompt: Silver Lining.
> 
> Thank you missmeagan666. ;)

            Oliver paced, his entire body taunt. He felt like a caged lion. One fitted out with all the luxuries money could buy, but trapped just the same. His eyes fell to the clock on the wall before he shifted directions. Two minutes until eleven.

            A knock on the door had Oliver almost jumping out of his too tight skin. Running up the stairs, Oliver yanked the door open allowing the loud music of the club to overwhelm him. The smile on his lips faltered when he saw someone other than who he was expecting. “Thea.”

           She reached up and patted him on the cheek before brushing past him into his sanctuary. Looking over her shoulder, she nodded at the door. “You might want to close that.”

            Snapping the door closed, Oliver turned and followed his sister down his stairs. “What are you doing here?”

            Thea smiled at him when they reached his living room and placed her hands casually on her hips. “You almost don’t sound happy to see me.”

            “I always love to see you,” Oliver said quickly. “It’s just I’m expecting company.”

            “Business or pleasure?”

            “The latter,” Oliver said, shoving his hands into this pockets. He already knew Thea would deduce who it was with. Thea did not miss much when it came to her club, so he knew that Thea was aware of Felicity’s presence upstairs.

            “Felicity.” Thea made her way over to his hidden liquor cabinet and went to pour them both a drink. She handed him one and, though he was tempted to decline it, accepted it. “She had a visitor tonight.”

            “What?” Oliver was startled by her announcement. And if he was honest, a little jealous. “Who?”

            “Waller.” Thea sipped her Scotch. “And someone else.”

            Oliver placed his glass down on his coffee table and approached his sister. Grabbing her by the arms, he studied her face. “Who?”

            Thea shrugged under his touch. “Brunette. Glasses. Slim. Probably about a year younger than Felicity and I are.” Thea pulled out of his grip and set her own glass next to his. “She paid a waitress to deliver Felicity a message.”

            “What did it say?”

            Thea reached inside the neckline of her cocktail dress and extracted a piece of paper that was no bigger than a thumbnail. She handed it over to him. “Read it for yourself.”

            Oliver carefully unfolded the paper and scanned the block lettered request. “Did she go?”

            Thea smiled at him, a bit of mischief showing through. “I think she was a little distracted by the guy wrapped around her.”

            “What?” Murderous rage permeated Oliver. Everything around him turned red. Someone had touched Felicity. He could feel his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. The urge to kill was there. What if the guy kissed her? That thought almost had his feet in motion to find the person who dared.

            A hand landed on his arm and Thea’s laugh cut through his furious state. “It was you, bro. So, you can back down from those caveman tendencies because the only person you’ll hurt is yourself. And Felicity in the process.” Thea sent him a sideways look. “I like her. Don’t scare her away.”

            “Me?” Oliver was still trying to process that he was the one Thea had referred to. As it was, his voice came out strangled, almost foreign to his own ears.

            “You.” Thea tapped him on the chest with a singer finger. She studied him with a hard stare, the same one that Tommy used to use when Oliver managed to do something stupid. “I honestly thought you’d be more worried about Waller.”

            Oliver shook off the rest of his pent up anger. “She already showed an interest in Felicity. Especially because of my involvement with her.”

            “Does John know?”

            “Yes. He was there.”

            Thea nodded thoughtfully. “That explains why he stopped shadowing Felicity and left after Waller did.”

            Oliver’s eyes shot up to the door that led back to the club before falling back on the wall clock. Five past eleven. She should have been here. “Digg was supposed to let her in.”

            “She was still with her friends when I checked before coming down here. They had one last round.” Thea smiled. “I had Roy drop them off as my treat since I wanted to come down and tell you what was going on.”

            “Thank you.” Oliver was honestly glad for his sister’s Intel. Whatever upper hand that he possessed over Waller the safer it was for everyone.

            “Anytime.” Thea patted him on the chest and graced him with a heart-warming smile. “Oh. Could you cover the club tomorrow night? Roy wanted to take me out.”

            Oliver shook his head upset that he could not fulfill his sister’s request. “I can’t. Bratva meeting. There’s been some concern because one of our guys was killed after being seen with an unknown woman. She kept her face from the cameras so the Bratva thinks that it was a hit.”

            “Triad?”

            It scared Oliver how much his sister knew. Apparently, he had had been sharing way too much lately. He’d have to rectify that before a target was placed on her head. “No. It was a different player.”

            Thea reached out and hugged him. Oliver allowed himself to hold her. The ease between the siblings had been stifled for a long time after he came back. It was nice to have it back again. Oliver could only hope that it wouldn’t come at a price he was unwilling to pay.

            A hesitant knock had the two pulling back. Thea nodded up at the door. “I’ll let your date in.” She winked at him before she turned. “Wouldn’t want her to see how anxious you are.”

            “I’m not anxious and it’s not a date,” Oliver protested.

            “You were out of breath when you answered the door, bro.” Thea stopped halfway up the stairs. “And if it’s not a date, what is it? I don’t exactly see the two of you enjoying dinner at eleven o’clock at night.”

            “I wish I knew.” Oliver scrubbed his hands over his face. He knew what he wanted it to be. But then, there was something about Felicity that made him wish for more than just a quick hook up.

            “Does she know Waller uses your reputation against you by making you sleep with targets?” Thea seemed generally concerned.

            Oliver shivered. “No. She doesn’t know anything.” His eyes met his sisters and turned hard. He could only hope that his sister would take the hint. “I’d prefer to keep it that way.”

            Hearing his sister’s deep intake of breath even this far away, Oliver knew she did not agree with his sentiment. “That’s one way to destroy whatever this is before it happens.” She smirked at him. “Good luck with that.”

            The knock on the door began again. Thea nodded at the portal. “I better go let her in before she wises up and run as far and fast as she can from you.”

            “She can’t. I’m her professor.”

            Thea shuddered. “Okay. That’s way worse than I first pictured.” With a mocking gesture, she waved at the door. “Run, girl. Run.” When Oliver cleared his throat and glared at her, Thea turned and grinned his way. “What? You would have killed the teacher who tried to come onto me.” 

            Damn it. She had a good point. About all of it. This was a stupid idea. He should make Thea tell Felicity to go home. Only that was the last thing he wanted.

            When had he stopped thinking about Felicity as his student and more about the woman he wanted? Probably when he told her to skip his class. If she had shown up that night and he had to stare at her remembering what they had done on Professor Redman’s desk, he would have walked around his Russian class in pain.

            Oliver wished he could choke out the words that would end this right now. He was bad news on a good day. On a bad day, he was capable of torturing someone so badly that they begged for death days later. Between the Bratva and A.R.G.U.S. he had some of the best teachers. Now he was nothing more than a human weapon that both organizations pointed at whoever they wanted eliminated from the board.

            His eyes rose and hit upon the blonde that Thea had let inside. In that moment, Oliver was no longer a weapon. He was only human. And he wanted Felicity with a need that he never felt before.

            His mouth salivated at the sight of her descending his stairs. He had to hold himself in check not to run over and throw her up against the wall so he could run his aching hands all over the silky skin. “You look nice.”

            Felicity smiled at him as she approached, her hands held out slightly to highlight the dress. “I wasn’t sure you noticed.”

            “I didn’t before,” Oliver admitted honestly as he nodded at his sister before she closed the door. When Oliver had seen Felicity upstairs all he could think about was touching her. To regain some of the humanity he lost over the weekend.

            When she was within arm’s reach, Oliver tugged her toward him. His head descended and he gave her a brief kiss. Her lips tried to follow his after he pulled away. It made Oliver smile. She wanted this as much as he did.

            Pulling the tie that hung loosely around his neck free, Oliver turned her and wrapped it around her head, blocking her view. “Can you see?”

            “No,” she said breathlessly. One of her hands fluttered up to touch the silk, but Oliver nudged it back down.

            “Good.” He led her over to his couch. “Lay back.”

            Felicity hesitated. He could not blame her. She did not know him yet. If she did, she would have never been there. But, finally, she allowed him to guide her back until she was reclined on the brown fabric.

            Oliver drug a finger over her lips and was satisfied to see her tongue come out and try to caress it. Leaning down he whispered, “Not yet.”

            Tracing that same finger up her leg, Oliver watched her squirm under his touch. A satisfied smile landed on his face as he removed his finger. She was already sensitive. “Do you want me to keep touching you?”

            “Yes.” The word came out strangled and breathy. “Please.”

            Oliver gripped her chin harshly and slashed his lips over hers in a rough kiss that had their teeth clashing. When they were both breathless, he pulled back. “How do you want to be touched? Like that or what I did before?”

            He stood there watching as her hands clenched tight into the mocha fabric of his couch. Her hips undulated and he had to hold back from stripping and thrusting into her right then. He hoped like hell that she would choose the softer option because if she wanted hard and fast he might just lose his mind. Oliver knew his control would snap unless she kept him in check.

            Oliver saw her brow crease as she licked her swollen lips. One of her hands came up and caressed her own leg, much like he had. She was mentally reviewing both. That same hand lifted from her leg and searched him out. When he bent down on his heels, it came in contact with his shirt. Her fingers fumbled with his button, while he saw her mouth try to find the words. It surprised him because Felicity never seemed to lack for them. “The first. Softly.”

            Rolling his eyes upwards, Oliver thanked whatever God was up there. If she had said hard and fast, he honestly wasn’t sure he would not have split her in two with his need.

            Oliver leaned over her and kissed her softly. He was almost surprised he remembered how. He trailed his lips down the red skin of her chin. A bruise he knew he would later regret. When he found his way to her neck, she began to pant. Then he found _the spot_. The one that had her groaning out his name as her hips arched off the couch. Smiling against her skin, Oliver licked a strip over that area again. When he added pressure, Felicity almost shot off his couch.

            “Oh, frack!” she moaned.

            Oliver swiped at the spot again with his tongue as his hand landed on her stomach to hold her down under the assault. “Who do you work for?”

            “What?” While the passion laced her answer, there was also genuine confusion. Oliver would not even hold the fact that she asked a question against her since it answered his own.

            He noticed her brow was now creased. The high she was on losing its edge. She honestly did not know what he was talking about. He ran a hand up her leg and her body lifted in an attempt to try to make him go higher. “Who have you hacked?”

            Felicity’s head rolled back and forth in some sort of denial. A denial he was not willing to accept. “Who, Felicity?” 

            “School,” she choked out as her hand carded through his hair in an effort to bring his head down to hers. “Satellite.”

            That caught Oliver’s interest. Tracking his hand up under her skirt, Oliver teased at that bit of thigh that was only an inch from where she heated his hand. “Which satellite?”

            “I don’t know,” she whimpered. “It was an acronym. I don’t know what it means. Please.”

            Oliver pressed his hand to her apex. She surged into his hand. Oliver had to close his eyes and swallow hard. He wanted her so bad, but he needed more information. “What was the acronym?” 

            “I don’t remember.”

            Removing his hand, Oliver gently laid her skirt back to its original position across her legs. “Yes, you do.”

            “Oliver, please,” she pleaded with him.

            Oliver rose from the floor and went to the end of the couch. Gently, he pulled her down the surface of the couch so her legs hung over the side. He spread them and went down on his knees. Just being this close to where he wanted to be was almost his undoing. He had to stay strong and get the answers he needed. Oliver pushed her skirt up again and blew his hot breath against the spot he abandoned before. “You do remember. Think, Felicity. What were the letters?” 

            Her hand came down and tried to pull his head down. He shook it, letting her know it would not happen until she told him what he wanted to know. “Tell me and I will.”

            “A-R-G-U-S”

            Shit. No wonder Waller was interested in Felicity. It was not because she was a hacker with remarkable skills. It was because those skills allowed her to possibly discover secrets A.R.G.U.S. did not want exposed.

            “You promised,” Felicity said with a slight whine.

            “I did.” Oliver eased her black lace underwear from her legs. He heard her breath catch as the fabric eased down her highly-sensitized skin.

            Smoothing his hands slowly up her legs, Oliver breathed her in. The muskiness of her essence making him harder than he ever remembered during any other sexual encounter. His shaft felt like it could rival diamonds for the ability to cut through anything else. Oliver dropped a few kisses on each of her legs avoiding that apex of her until he knew he was in check enough not to go too fast.

            Felicity’s hands dug into his scalp. He relished the pain. It was the only thing reminding him to take things slow. Oliver raked his tongue over the sensitive skin while his hands made their way up under her dress. He soothed down her stomach before he took his first taste. It was not enough for either of them.

            After a few more licks, Oliver slid a finger inside her warm depths. Felicity’s inner muscles clamped tight around it while he slid it in and out at an excruciatingly slow pace. When she begged for more, he placed a second finger inside and scissoring them within in, stretching her, preparing her for him. Oliver needed to stop torturing himself because even though her hands barely held onto him, he could not take much more.

            Reaching inside his pocket, Oliver withdrew the condom he placed there earlier. With regret, Oliver licked one last time and slid out of her. He raised his fingers to his lips and licked them clean, relishing the taste of her on his own skin. He could taste her forever and not have enough.

            “Oliver,” Felicity murmured. She lay there withering around his couch still in need to be touched. She had been so close to her own orgasm.

            Oliver leaned down to remove the tie from her eyes. He wanted to see those beautiful blue eyes when Felicity finally fell apart in his arms. She blinked up at him, a small frown at her lips.

            He held a hand out to her and she stared at it confused before she placed her own palm in it. Oliver tugged her up to his chest and swept her hair back from her face. He just needed to stare at her for a moment. To realize that all of this was real. “I could eat you.”

            “I thought you already had,” she said with a slight blush.

            “It wasn’t enough.” Giving her a smile, he held up a finger and circled it. “Turn around.”

            Felicity complied easily. His hands shook as he eased down the zipper that was on the back of her dress. Even her back was gorgeous. Yanking her back hard, Oliver thrust a few times against her back. If he wasn’t in her soon…

            “Bedroom,” Oliver bit out through his teeth. When he realized her legs would not hold her, Oliver swept her up into his arms and carried her. As he did, her hands made quick work of the buttons on his shirt. It was probably the only thing that saved it because he yanked it off his heated skin the second he dropped her on his king sized bed.

            She shimmied the dress off leaving her naked. Every small movement she made turned Oliver on further. It was an exotic dance and the only one that he would willing participate in.

            Oliver was reaching for his belt when she made her way over to him on the bed. She pushed his hands to his sides and worked on releasing it from his waist. The foil packet, still in his palm, crinkled as his hands fisted at his sides. By the time his pants and underwear hit his ankles, Oliver was ready to crawl out of his own skin. Preferably into hers. “Fe-li-ci-ty.”

            With hesitant fingers, Felicity slid them up over his erection. Her other caressed his chest until it came up to tug at his neck enough to pull his head toward hers. She had no idea the wildfire she had started within him.

            Slow. It was the word he constantly repeated over and over in his head. Stamina had been beaten into him. Oliver needed every one of those reminders. Felicity was one woman who he wanted too badly to keep from the baser instincts he relied on daily.

            Kissing her was no hardship. Her lips easily twined with his. Their tongues licking and sucking at a pace that a thoroughbred would be proud of. It was only a promise of the things yet to come between them.

            Oliver placed a hand on her head and one at her hips before he lowered her back on the bed. Felicity trembled underneath him and a cocky grin appeared on his lips as he trailed them to that magical spot he had discovered earlier on her neck. She moaned out his name as his hand trailed up her own heated body. Her body quaked under him making him wish to stay. Oliver kissed her one last time before he rose to sheath himself in the condom he still possessed. If he waited much longer he’d forget the fucking condom altogether.

            Oliver positioned himself, grabbing a hold of her hips. He waited until her eyes met his before he thrust inside. The rounded o of her lips called to him. Leaning forward on his forearms above her he continued his assault on her quivering flesh.

            The wet slaps of their bodies was drowned out by the blood that rushed out of his brain as her teeth ripped at his shoulder. He almost wished she’d bite harder. The scar would be a wonderful reminder of this night. At least one scar on his body should be memorable in a good way.

            When Felicity’s head made her way down his chest and sucked at his nipple, encircling it with her tongue as her nails bit into his hips, Oliver thought for sure he’d be driving over the precipice. Only he was determined to take her there first. Reaching between them, He breathed out her name as he thumbed over her clit. The bundle of nerves was the right spot because she arched up and fell into an orgasm that almost rivaled his own. Black bit at his sight as his own orgasm tore through him.

            His arms shuddered and they tried desperately to continue to hold his weight. Not wanting to hurt her, Oliver rolled over and pulled her tight to his side. Oliver closed his eyes and just enjoyed the moment. A quiet one with someone he could grow to care for rather quickly.

            “Oliver?”

            “Hmm?” He didn’t bother to open his eyes.

            “What time is it?”

            Blinking, Oliver turned slightly to gauge what his alarm clock said. “A few minutes past one.”

            He heard her groan before she tried to detangle herself from him. Rising slightly, Oliver stared at her. “What’s wrong?”

            “I need to go.” Oliver reached for her but she shook her head. “I have an eight am class.”

            “Skip it.”

            “I can’t.” Felicity leaned down and pecked him on the lips. He reached up and captured her there. The last thing he wanted was for her to go. “Oliver,” she groaned out his name as she pulled back. “I have to go.”

            Oliver let her go and proceeded to get up as well. He jerked on his pants, leaving them unbuttoned. “Did you need me to drive you home?”

            Felicity shook her head, even as she tried to gather the strands of her hair back into the ponytail she sported earlier. “My car’s outside.”

            Nodding, Oliver did not know what else to say. He never needed to before. What he wanted was for her to stay, but that was just him being greedy.

            Turning her back to him, Felicity smiled over her shoulder. “Can you zip me up?”

            “Sure.” Pulling up the zipper, Oliver wondered where the whole situation left them. “Are you going to be in class on Wednesday? Or are you still working on your project?” Why the hell did he sound so needy?

            “I turned it in this morning.” Felicity sidled up to him and he clasped her hips pulling her in for a lingering kiss. “Mmm. No. I have to go.”

            Oliver grinned as he debated whether to really tempt her back to his bed with a few more kisses. Already her eyes were dilated, her body soft under his hold. “Next time you’re staying here. I don’t like to think about you driving this late at night.”

            “Well, if someone,” Felicity trailed her finger up his naked chest, “didn’t keep me up past my bedtime, I’d already be safe in my dorm room.”

            Bending down, Oliver could not help but torture her a little bit more. He licked that spot that he had a feeling not many people knew about. “I’m pretty sure I already made sure you were in bed.”

            “Not for me to sleep.” She pushed back from him and gave him a frown that was the exact opposite of the mirth that twinkled in her eyes. “Goodnight, Professor.”

            “Dobroy nochi.”

            Oliver watched her leave up the stairs so she could make her way publically out of the club. It was probably for the best that she left because already Oliver was having a hard time letting her go.

            Dropping to his couch, Oliver grabbed his long discarded Scotch and drowned it. Then he followed that one with what was left in Thea’s.

            A commotion caught his ear just in time for him to buckle his pants before his solitude was interrupted. Anatoly Knysev busted through the back door of Oliver’s lair along with two other of his Bratva brothers. Those men dropped a bleeding man down on Oliver’s pristine wooden floor.

            “Anatoly?” Oliver’s eyes cut over to his friend. “What’s going on?”

            “This mu’dak,” Anatoly spit out, kicking at the man, “was caught breaching the network system.”

            The man tried to push himself up off the floor but failed and fell back. His bloodied face left little way to identify him. That left Oliver to ask. “Who is he?”

            “Noah Kuttler,” Anatoly said the name as if it was a curse word. “We hired him for work and instead he tried to steal from us.”

            Oliver racked his brain as to why the name was so familiar. Like he had heard it recently. No, not heard. Read. It was in Felicity’s file. Noah Kuttler was her father. There was only one silver lining to this situation. Felicity had managed to leave before all hell broke loose.


	6. Secrets To Be Learned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is desperate to find out more about why Felicity holds everyone's interest. Felicity needs answers of her own as to why Oliver asked her about her satellite hack. 
> 
> Written for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon, week 18, Escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still blown away by the response to this story. It amazes me. Thank you everyone who has read and left comments. It means a lot. 
> 
> And a huge thank you to missmeagan666. Not only did she beta this week, she helped me get through my writer's block to give you the back half of this story.

            Oliver stared at the tableau in front of him and wondered how he could escape such a delicate situation unscathed. As Captain, he was required to be present in a situation such as this, but as Felicity’s lover he wanted nothing to do with any sort of discipline Noah Kuttler was about to receive.

            The door behind Anatoly opened and Diggle made his way inside. He took in the situation while he approached to stand at Oliver’s side.

            “Ah.” Anatoly nudged Noah with his shoe. “Do you know who this is?” When Kuttler did not raise his head, Anatoly knelt near him and yanked it up unmindful of the blood caked within the gray threads. Anatoly pointed over at Diggle with a genuine smile on his face. “This is my other favorite American.”

            Diggle nodded down at Kuttler, his face masked, but Oliver knew from the tension that radiated off of him he was disturbed by the scene. “Who is he?”

            Anatoly rose dismissing Diggle’s question completely. “Oliver, we need to rectify this.”

            “Rectify what?” Diggle’s eyes shot around the group in search of answers as his arms crossed in an intimidating fashion.

            Oliver cupped Digg’s shoulder. “It’s Bratva business, Digg. Could you do me a favor and make sure my guest makes it back home safely. Her father worries.”

            “Her father?” Diggle could not sound any more confused.

            “Yes, _her father_.” Oliver eyes drilled into Diggle’s. He knew the exact second when understanding began to dawn.

            Diggle glanced over at the man on the floor, than they rose to Anatoly. His body relaxed enough to allow his hands to fall at their sides. “Sure.”

            “Thanks, Digg.” Oliver watched his friend ascend the stairs to leave through the club. At least Digg caught the hint. This was going to be difficult enough without Diggle’s moral code getting in the way.

            “Now, we will begin,” Anatoly announced when Oliver’s attention was regained.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “Thank you, Lyla,” Oliver said to Digg’s wife as he exited their guest bathroom. “I needed that shower.”

Lyla smiled at him from the kitchen where she was finishing the brunch she was preparing. “You’re always welcome. I’m only sorry that we had to send in an A.R.G.U.S. clean up crew to your flat to begin with.”

            Oliver draped the towel around his shoulders and entered the kitchen. His attention fell onto the two little ragtag misfits who sat on the kitchen floor playing in a bunch of flour. A laugh escaped him, relaxing him for the first time since Anatoly showed up.

            Most of the previous night was spent torturing a man that had too close of ties to him than Oliver cared to admit. The night ended up torturing Oliver more than it did Noah. Oliver was very aware of what maimed, what killed and what just hurt. It was the last option that Oliver used last night. Oliver made it look believable that Kuttler was within an inch of his life by the time Anatoly called a stop.

            Felicity’s father was going to be in a lot of pain in the days to come, but he was alive and none of his wounds would affect him later once he recovered. It was the least Oliver could do to make sure everyone was satisfied.

            Oliver fell down to a crouch by the twins. “What are you two doing?”

            “Oliver,” Lyla scolded, snapping a towel out at him. “You just took a shower. You don’t need to play with them.”

            Smiling up at her, Oliver realized he was happy. It was the easiness of family life in the Diggle household despite the lives that Lyla and Diggle both lived outside of their abode. Dipping a finger in the flour that covered the floor, Oliver ran in it down the noses of both kids.

            Sara smiled up at him and waved. JJ, on the other hand, grabbed a handful of flour and tossed it in Oliver’s face.

            “John Jr! We don’t throw flour at people.” Lyla frowned down at her son. “Sorry, Oliver.”

            “It’s fine,” Oliver reassured her. He rubbed the towel still draped over his shoulders over his face and hair. “JJ, I’m going to be gray soon enough. Don’t speed up the process.”

            That caused both the two year old twins to giggle. Oliver rose and rubbed a hand on both of their heads before heading over to Lyla. “What do you need me to do while we wait on Digg?”

            “Can you grab the plates and silverware?” she asked without even looking up from the stove.

            Oliver went to do as she asked and began to set the table when John arrived at the apartment. He looked exhausted, but the second two flour covered children ran out to hug him, the tiredness faded and Digg became Dad Extraordinaire. One by one he threw them in the air, blowing raspberries on their cheeks. Squeals of laughter echoed throughout the apartment.

            “Hey, man,” Diggle finally said after greeting his kids. “Your place is clean.” “Thanks.”

            “We’re going to talk about what happened after we eat.” His eyes shot over to his kids who Lyla put to work trying to clean the flour from the floor of the kitchen.

            “Yes, we will.”

            Diggle gave Oliver a brief nod. It was in that moment Oliver realized Digg was not just referring to what happened with Noah Kuttler, but the entire evening. Waller. Felicity. Kuttler. And whatever new player had sent Felicity the note.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Felicity’s day could not have been any more normal. It was a weird feeling after what happened the night before. She had actually slept with her professor.

            She was not that kind of girl. Yet, that was exactly what she had done. And she wanted to do it again. Craved the feel of him on her skin. This was not who she was. So, why was she so intent on making sure that she see him again?

            Oliver was an incredible lover. However, one thing bothered her. His questions. He was a professor at SCU, so why was he so interested in the satellite she hacked? It would have made much more sense for him to be concerned over her school hack. Because she did not tell him what it involved. She could have been in there changing grades. Felicity would never have dreamed of doing so, but he did not know that. What she had done was move herself off the waiting list for a class that she desperately needed to take this year.

            His fascination over the satellite bothered her the entire day, through each one of her classes, including the one she hacked her way into. But there was no way to confront Oliver over why he was so interested. Felicity’s schedule on Tuesdays were jam packed with classes. The only time she had free was after a late dinner.

            During her very brief lunch break, Felicity hacked into the school’s system to find out Oliver’s schedule. He had no classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That meant he could be anywhere, doing anything. Not exactly conducive to running him down. That left tomorrow. But during his one free period, she had class. With a long drawn out sigh, Felicity resolved that she’d have to try to see him before or after class. Unless…

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “We’re finally alone.”

            Oliver turned and grinned at John. “Sorry, Digg. You’re not my type.”

            “Shut up,” Diggle said with a shake of his head. It had taken until their late brunch was over and Lyla left to head out to A.R.G.U.S for them to be able to talk. The kids had only just been picked up by their babysitter, leaving the two men alone. “Talk.”

            Oliver waved at him. “You first. I want to know what Waller was up to.”

             John leaned forward in his chair and rubbed at his face before looking over at Oliver. “She wants Felicity.”

            “Because she hacked an A.R.G.U.S. satellite,” Oliver finished for him knowing his friend would have no clue.

            “She did?” John looked completely startled by the news, but his eyes quickly narrowed and a frown formed on his lips. “How did you find that out?”

            “I questioned Felicity.” “When?” Diggle demanded broking no argument.

            Oliver’s face began to flame. “Well…”

            Diggle jumped up from his chair and began to pace. Oliver worried. This was Diggle’s way of processing information. A lecture was sure to follow. Diggle faced him. The only way that Oliver knew Diggle was angry was because of the small tick of his lips and the way his hands clenched at his sides. “Tell me you didn’t interrogate her during sex.”

            Oliver shrugged. “Maybe I don’t know how to have sex like a normal person anymore.”

            “If you want to keep this girl, you better learn.”

            “And here I thought that you’d tell me to give up completely,” Oliver said trying to lighten the mood.

            “That’s plan B,” Diggle ground out. “What were you thinking? Were you thinking, man?” Diggle shook his head and Oliver noticed he struggled to relax. “Of course, you weren’t thinking. Damn it, man. Do you want her to know about you? About us? Because you are not just compromising yourself here.”

            “I agree. It’s better if she doesn’t know.” Oliver leaned forward and mimicked Diggle’s earlier actions. He had not put one ounce of thought into the results of asking Felicity the questions the night before. Oliver had only wondered what could possibly be so interesting about Felicity that Waller wanted her.

            Diggle dropped down on the chair he vacated. “So, Waller wants Felicity because she broke through a satellite. Does that make her a hit or a recruit?”

            “I don’t know,” Oliver told him honestly. “Neither is an attractive option.”

            Both men sat there in silence as they tried to wrap their minds around the consequences of either of those positions. Finally, Oliver broke the tense silence. “Did you find out anything about the girl who wanted to meet with Felicity?”

            Diggle shook his head. “Her fingerprints are not in any system, even A.R.G.U.S. But, I did manage to catch a brief glimpse of her. I asked Lyla to look into it after she gets back from the Amalfi Coast.”

            “How long is she gone this time?”  

            “Two weeks.” Lyla was one of the top agents in A.R.G.U.S. and when she was deployed to take care of a situation people died. She was the main leader of the Suicide Squad. A group of criminals with a certain skill set to retrieve A.R.G.U.S. agents and people of interest from dangerous situations. Diggle hated it, but he loved his wife, which was why he joined the organization when Lyla requested it. Oliver had been in need of partner. He could not have asked for a better one. “So, Kuttler? Felicity’s father?”

            Oliver nodded. “Talk about irony. She has not seen the man in twelve years according to the reports I pulled up on him. Then to think she missed him by minutes. And that’s being generous.”

            “What did he do?”

            Oliver rose and scrubbed his hand over his head as he decided how much to share. “Leonov hired him to change some accounts. The IRS was beginning to breathe down his neck. Kuttler was hired to bury the books. Not only with the money laundering but with the sex crimes.” Diggle groaned. It always turned his stomach whenever the Bratva’s sex slave trade was brought up, especially since his kids had been born. It did not make Oliver’s stomach feel much better either. Most of the crime within the organization bothered Oliver. Including most of the stuff Oliver found himself involved in.

            “Noah Kuttler is a master hacker. According to what I found out, he’s one of the best in the world,” Oliver continued. “At least singularly. Helix tops him. But then they are an organization made out of hackers and they usually go after governments.”

            “Okay. That’s great,” Diggle said. “But what did Kuttler do that made him a target for you?” Diggle was well aware that Oliver’s position in the Bratva was punisher, torturer, and/or information puller when things went to the higher levels.

            “Kuttler tried to direct some of the money to one of his own accounts while cooking the books.”

            Diggle’s brow creased. “Why would a hacker, especially one of his caliber, steal money from the Bratva? Not only that but be caught? Talk about a good way to get yourself killed.”

            An idea dawned on Oliver, one that he never considered. “Unless the money transfer was a distraction. A few thousand dollars is nothing in the long run, but what if he was after something bigger?”

            “Like what?”

            “I don’t know, but I have a Bratva meeting tonight. I’m going to find out what Kuttler was after.”

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Oliver glanced around the outside of the mechanic’s shop where Leonov operated out of. Something was off. Oliver just could not put his finger on it.

            Probably because that something was Felicity. She entered the club to see if she could find Oliver or anything about him that could give her more insight into why their last interaction happened the way it had. Making her way around, she tried to spot Oliver’s sister, but she was coming up empty handed, much like she had when she tried to find out more than the superficial on Oliver online. Finally, after stopping a waitress, Felicity discovered Thea was up in her office.

            After one wrong turn, Felicity found the correct door. She was about to knock when she heard a sound like pain from the slightly opened door. In a panic, Felicity nudged past the panel, calling out, “Thea? Thea, are you okay.” Felicity stopped dead. “Oh, God! I’m so sorry.”

            Felicity spun around and covered her face wondering why she thought it was a good idea to even come to the club in the first place. She could not believe she actually stumbled onto Thea and her boyfriend, Roy, in such a delicate situation. For being a genius, she seriously lacked some common sense on those rare occasions when her mind was preoccupied with something else. Usually though the worst that happened was that she ended up blurting out some innuendo that was not meant in the context in which it was said, not invading a sexual liaison.

            There was a bit of scurrying behind her. “I should go… freshen up,” Thea mumbled.

            Felicity released her hands from her face in time to see Thea escape the room. Turning hesitantly, Felicity saw Roy standing there with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, his expression one of embarrassment. However, it was Felicity who was the most flustered by the situation. “Sorry.”

            “It’s fine,” Roy said with a shrug of his shoulders. “We should have locked the door.”

            Heavy silence filled the room. Felicity took in the office that also contained some shelving. The liquor contained there was the more expensive kind that the club served. “I… uh…” Felicity stumbled over her words. “Is Oliver here? Downstairs?”

            Roy shook his head. “Sorry. Thea mentioned something about a meeting.”

            “Oh.” Felicity tried not to feel crestfallen by the news that her plans were not going to come to fruition. Then a new plan began to form. Her hands began to twist together, so she shoved them behind her so Roy would not notice. She could not believe she was actually going to follow through with this. “I… I kind of…”  

            Roy smiled at her and began to relax his stance. A glint of mischief appeared in his eyes. “Yeah?”

            Felicity took a deep breath and tried to ignore the fact that what she was doing was wrong. She needed to just spit out the lie and get it over with. “I left something downstairs. I’m pretty sure that’s where it dropped out of my purse because I can’t find it anywhere else. I was wondering if I could check.”

            She was pretty sure Roy thought her blush was because of her admitting to being with Oliver last night while it was really there for the outright lie she told. He nodded at her and went to the desk to retrieve a book. He glanced inside and closed it with a snap before returning it to the drawer. When Roy looked back up at her he smiled. “Just needed to check the code. He changes it every week.”

            _Good to know_ , Felicity thought to herself memorizing the drawer the book came out of. And very smart on Oliver’s part. Question was, which day of the week did he set about the changes?

 

            Oliver glanced around the group that surrounded him. His brothers. That was what the Bratva was supposed to be… a brotherhood. Instead, it was a group of thieves, murderers, sex slavers, and any sort of criminal element that past the grueling test to join. And Oliver was one of their Captains. A high ranking officer made only even more important because he was one of the ones that originated from Russia. Not one other American had ever made such a rare rank within the organization.

            Anatoly stepped forward into the center of the group. He held his hands up to silence everyone and gave Oliver a slight nod. “It is time for us to begin.”

 

            Felicity saw Roy close the door behind him leaving her alone in Oliver’s private space. Any second she expected John Diggle, or Oliver, to walk in and bust her. She had to be fast and careful. It would not do to disturb anything. Felicity was not quite sure how OCD Oliver was. She was already aware of his photographic memory from class where he would recite passages of their Russian textbook without even cracking it open.

            Her eyes searched around. Where to start first? She thought about his office but the door was still closed and probably locked. While that would seem the perfect place to start, it might also be a trap.

            Making her way around the mostly open space, she spotted exactly what she needed on the counter of small kitchen area off to one side. A computer. Bingo.

            Quickly making her way over, Felicity powered it up. It required a password. Luckily she had a jump drive on her key fob that could resolve that problem. It took three minutes before it broke through. At least two minutes longer than it would normally take for most people. Oliver had a thing about security. Interesting.

 

            “We need to find out who this woman is,” demanded one of the men. He slapped his fist into his other hand to punctuate his words. “She could kill any one of us next.”

            Oliver held up a hand as the group around him grew louder with their discontent. “So far, she has only come after certain men within our organization. I do not believe that most of you are in danger.”

            “Which ones?” a man in the back yelled.

            A look passed between Oliver and Anatoly. As Pakhan, Anatoly did not have to release all of the details. But, the fact that he was one of the people in danger, made that point mute. Anatoly cleared his throat before he spoke. “There was a group of us involved in the disappearance of someone close to Oliver and I. Every one of the men involved in that disappearance has thus far been targeted.”

            Oliver closed his eyes. Only it made it worse. That someone close had been Sara. She had asked for his help. She needed to hide from some nasty people and Oliver agreed to make it look like she had died at his hand. He called up Anatoly to help them since he had befriended Sara as well when they had washed up against the Amazo where Anatoly was a prisoner. They all escaped together and landed back in Russia. Oliver had decided to stay, but Sara, she went off on her own. It was on her travels that she ran across an organization that she was too scared to tell him about. Sara claimed it was for his own protection.

            To help her, Oliver and Anatoly gathered together some of the more discreet members of the Bratva and faked her death. Only it ended up that before Sara reached her new destination, she really was dead. Even right now, Oliver was unsure who Sara came across that caused her death.

 

            Felicity was speechless. Oliver kept a diary and his latest entry from earlier that day was right there minimized on his screen. From what she could tell once his documents were completed there were sent into an encrypted file. But this one was still there. Possibly unfinished?

            Scanning over the words was what startled her into her speechless state. Her father’s name popped out. It might as well have been bolded, italicized, and written in a larger font. It wasn’t, but that did not make it stand out any less.

            According to what Oliver wrote someone labeled A brought her father here. Felicity’s eyes shot around the place almost expecting him to still be there. But there was no indication that he ever had been. Turning back, Felicity read more. Oliver felt regret for what he had to do to him. What had he done? There was nothing to tell her. And that’s where the passage ended. Leaving her with a lot of questions.

            Going back up the page, Felicity decided to read the rest. It mentioned about his early class. About how much he could not wait for F, her, to show up. How he had a hard time waiting and searched her out against his better judgment. It said that he had to watch out for his sister because she was too aware of what was going on. That was at least one of them, because Felicity was beyond confused.

            Then there was a passage about Felicity arriving. How it had made him happy, something he had not been able to feel in a long time. That made her smile. But there was nothing else except for his statement that W did not need to know about F more than she already did. That what happened between Oliver and Felicity was not something he wanted to write about. Instead, he preferred it to be held in his memories for those moments when he needed something to get him through the grueling times.

            From there it went on to mention her father. Did that mean she just missed him? And it still bothered her as to why her criminal father was here in the first place. What did Oliver and A have to do with him? Oliver never presented himself as anything other than a professor. Or at least until last night.

            A shudder ran over Felicity as she began to wonder what she really knew about Oliver Queen. With a deep breath to shore up her resolve, Felicity pulled up another key fob and inserted it into Oliver’s laptop. If she put in a cleverly hidden Trojan she’d be able to access all of his files remotely. That would give her time to determine how to crack into the encrypted folders and give her any knowledge into what he was doing.

            Felicity fretted the entire time she waited for the Trojan to upload, even if it did not take long. While she waited she decided to reroute all the configurations to make sure that if the Trojan was discovered that it would ping off of at least a hundred different locations before reaching her. It would take someone along the lines of her father to try to track it down. And, unfortunately, it seemed that Oliver had access to just such a person.

            A sound came from the door to the club. As it inched open, Felicity jerked out her jump drive relieved that the program finished at least. Seeing a towel hanging from his oven, Felicity pulled it over and did her best to wipe down the keyboard after setting it to power off. Hiding below the counter, Felicity waited for it to power down before she closed it to make sure that it would actually be off like it had been before she touched it.

            “See, Thea. She’s not even here anymore. I told you. Felicity just needed to retrieve something,” came Roy’s voice from the direction of the stairs.

            Felicity heard Thea sigh, a lot closer than Roy was. “Good. Ollie would have flipped. He doesn’t like anyone being down here without him or Diggle present.”

            Glancing over at the back door, Felicity tried to gauge how she would be able to get to it to make her escape if the occasion called for it.

            “She’s not here now,” Roy said. “There’s no point worrying about it.”

            “Let me just check the bedroom to make sure.” A door opened. A relieved laugh escaped from Thea. “I did not think she was one of those floozies Ollie used to hang out with, but I had to make sure.”

            Felicity heard the pair ascend the stairs. Thea’s heels clacked on the metal stairs the entire way. The second they were gone, Felicity ran and made her escape. Only before she left, she looked back one last time. This place would always hold memories for her, she just was not completely sure if they would remain good or bad ones. She said a silent goodbye because she was not quite she if she’d ever come back.

 

            Oliver walked out with Anatoly from the disbanded meeting. “Do you think any of these murders have anything to do with Sara?”

            Anatoly did not even bother to raise his head as he shook it back and forth. “I’m not sure.”

            Oliver nodded. There wasn’t much to say until they were able to gather more information about what had happened thus far. But that was not all that Oliver wanted to discuss with his friend. “Noah Kuttler…”

            “Is not as hurt as I would have preferred.” Anatoly now raised his face to look over at Oliver. They continued to walk out into parking lot that was becoming more and more empty. “Why is that?”

            “Tell me what he really did and maybe I will.” Oliver stopped and pulled his friend short along with him. “Leonov did not involve you over a couple thousand dollars.”

            “No. He did not.”

            “And…” Oliver prompted.

            “And my reasons are my own, just as yours are.”

            That answered exactly nothing, but Oliver could tell by the expression on Anatoly’s face that was the only answers he was going to gain tonight. “Fine.”

            The two walked again. This time Anatoly spoke. “So, Kuttler’s daughter?”

            “Excuse me?” Oliver swung around to face Anatoly. Did he know about Felicity?

            “I believe both your guests last night share the same blood. Nyet?” Anatoly stared Oliver down. “The same young lady who also attends one of your classes.”

            _Shit!_ Oliver ran his hand over his head. What was it that everyone suddenly gained an interest into Felicity?

            “Yes, Felicity Smoak was there last night. But she has nothing to do with any of this, or her father.”

            Anatoly shrugged. “If she doesn’t, she will soon enough.” Anatoly motioned that they should continue. “Helix has targeted her according to my sources.” At Oliver’s confused expression, Anatoly let out a small chuckle. “Yes, this is true. One of their members tried to contact her last night.”

            “What does Helix want with her?” Whatever it was it could not be good. And another reason for Waller to be searching her out. The list of reasons were only piling up.

            Anatoly shrugged. “Same thing they want from any other hacker they approach, I am sure.”

            What was so special about Felicity’s talents that had led everyone to suddenly search her out? Oliver made a mental note to find out as soon as he was able.

            Anatoly stopped near where the car waited for him and patted Oliver’s cheek one time. “You have very good taste in women, moy drug. But this one you must let go. Felicity Smoak is dangerous.”

            Oliver did not appreciate his friend’s advice. He watched him enter his car and stayed until it drove away before turning toward his own. Diggle was there waiting for him. He pulled open the door for Oliver to enter. Only as Oliver expected the door to close behind him, Diggle slid in next to him. “Digg? Aren’t you driving?”

            The car began to move forward and Oliver tried to determine who was in the front seat. It was hard to tell, but he could determine that whoever was less than average height and slimmer than the usual drivers that they employed.

            “I met a friend while you were in your meeting,” Diggle explained. He nodded upfront at the uniformed driver who even had a hat on to protect their identity.

            No other words were spoken until they reached the spot near Verdant where Digg normally parked to let Oliver out. It was then that the driver began to turn and remove the hat. “Hello, Ollie.”

            “Sara?” Oliver was stunned by a living, breathing Sara Lance. “How? I thought you were dead.”

            “I was,” she said with a wink.

           


	7. Issues At Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity confronts Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who has taken to this story. I am trying to figure out where the story is going to go after the prompts for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon is over. If you have a prompt, send it in my ask box on Tumblr (@onceuponanolicity) and mark it with 1 on 1, or throw it in the comments here. I may or may not use them, but I will be sure to mention who I took the prompt from in the comments if I do choose it. 
> 
> Huge thank you to my beta, missmeagan666, for always coming through. 
> 
> This is for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon week 19, Wrong Printer.

            “You were dead,” Oliver told Sara as they sat in his living room. “I saw your body.”

            “You saw a body,” Sara corrected. “It wasn’t mine.”

            Oliver buried his head in his hands as he still tried to process all of this. He was so tense that his skin felt like it pulled too tight over his body. It was not every day that a woman you once cared for showed up alive after believing for almost three years she was gone.

            When Oliver looked back up at Sara he studied her. Her blonde hair was its original ashen color. The kind of hair she sported back when she was a kid. It was also a lot shorter than he was used to seeing. It now only fell to just below her shoulders. Shoulders that were held stiff. She was expecting rejection after all of this time. She would be sadly disappointed if she thought he was going to turn her away. Oliver was thrilled that she was alive, even if that meant that his life had taken a much more complicated turn.

            Only, if she was alive, who was murdering the men who helped her? Unless… “Sara?”

            “Yeah, Ollie?” She looked over at him expectantly.

            “I’m just going to come out and ask this, did you kill the Bratva members who helped in your ‘death’?” Oliver used air quote around the word death.

            “No.” She shook her head making her loose blonde hair shake around her shoulder. “Why would I do…?” Her blue eyes shifted. They took on a faraway appearance until they closed. It was like whatever had come over her was so strong that it forced her to suck within herself. She took a deep shuddering breath and breathed out one word. “Nyssa.”

            “Who’s Nyssa?” Oliver had never heard the name before. She must be someone from Sara’s past after they separated, but he suspected it was from before her death if that was the person that Sara automatically thought of.

            “My wife.” Sara’s blue eyes blinked open. She laughed at Oliver’s shocked expression. “You must remember what one of them is.”

            “Leave Samantha out of this,” Oliver said coming out of his shock and pointing at her. Sara only brought Samantha up to change the subject. “William, too. Just in case you decide to throw that out there.”

            Sara shrugged nonchalantly. It irritated the hell out of him. Samantha and William were a sore subject on a good day. Oliver had never met his son. And Samantha, who he never should have married in the first place, filed for divorce while he was gone, supposedly as dead as Sara should have been.

            “So, a professor, huh?” Sara winked at him. It was her way of goading him.

            “Nyssa, huh?” Oliver returned, refusing to give into her jabs.

            “Fine.” Sara sighed. “Nyssa.”

            Oliver waited patiently for the story. Last thing Oliver knew Sara was not gay, but that did not mean anything, people fell in love with other people that you would never expect every day. Plus, a lot of people tended to hide and deny their sexuality all the time. He taught young adults. He saw it every single day. In fact, how many ops had he been sent out with another male operative and they had to pose as a couple? It was Waller’s idea of a joke. She was not known for her sense of humor.

            “I married Nyssa about a year before I came to you,” Sara finally said. “It was a secret marriage because her father did not approve of the match. When he found out, we thought he was fine with it. Until the missions I was sent on were compromised over and over again. Almost every one of them resulted in my death. When that didn’t take, he became much more direct.”

            Sara rose from her chair and looked around. “Do you have any liquor in this place?”

            Oliver nodded and went to his hidden liquor cabinet. He poured them both a liberal amount of bourbon. Handing her a glass, Oliver went to lean against the wall. He refused to push her because he knew that was the quickest way to get her to clam up.

            “His last attempt almost worked,” Sara told him after draining half her glass. “That’s when I came to you. I knew he knew all about you. It was expected that if I wanted out that you would be the one I’d search out. So, that’s what I did.” She lifted the glass to her lips and drained the rest. Oliver had to admit she looked like she needed it. “I had other plans. It required that I be dead. And that even you believed that I was.”

            “Why come back now? Was it because of Nyssa?”

            Sara shook her head. “No. Because…” Her eyes shifted around the room. “How secure is this place?” She laughed. “I guess I should have asked that before we even began talking to begin with.”

            “It’s as secure as the Pentagon,” Oliver reassured her.

 

            “I wouldn’t count on that,” Felicity mumbled from behind her computer through a mouthful of mint chip. The audio on his computer was working fine, but for the life of her she had to break the freaking encryption on his personal diary. Who the hell set it up? It was locked tighter than the original scrolls of the Torah.

            Seriously, this night could not get any weirder. To find out the professor you should have never slept with was not just a teacher but something so sinister that it required him to keep names as letters. Then the audio popped up when she thought to check the connection. She had not heard much just Oliver’s question of why come back now and a female voice’s response.

            That’s what really hurt. There was another woman there with him.

            “But just in case,” Oliver said, his voice becoming more clear. He must be approaching the computer. _Frack!_ Felicity typed several codes. She could not afford for him to notice that she had turned it on. “The only item in here with an audio device is my laptop and cell. I’ll put them both in my office. I have a Faraday cage set up in there.”

            “No. No. No,” Felicity screamed at the computer. She would not be able to access anything at all if he placed his laptop in there. Spotting one file that she had managed to unlock, Felicity set it to print. She could at least read it since she would not be able to do anything else.

            Only, when Felicity did not hear her printer warming up, she glanced back and noticed since she was still connected to his computer, she had sent it to one of his printers. _Frack! No!_

Felicity pounded on her desk and tried to undo the command, but was locked out. Apparently, the computer was in the Faraday cage. Felicity laid her head on the desk and cried.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “You want to explain this?” Diggle asked holding out a group of papers to Oliver the next morning. “It’s lucky your assistant is late and that I was in need of caffeine after a long night with JJ.”

            “What is it?” Oliver asked confused as he accepted the papers. Shifting through them, Oliver blanched. These were sensitive A.R.G.U.S. documents. Ones that had been in an encrypted file on his laptop. The same one he only just turned on a couple of minutes ago. “I didn’t print these.”

            To prove it, Oliver went on his computer to pull up his print log. Only his computer said the opposite. The command was sent at one twelve am last night. He wasn’t even on his computer at that time.

            Oliver’s eyes shot up to Diggle. “Someone hacked my system.”

            “What?” Diggle swung the laptop around and stared down at the offensive object. “Shit.”

            Oliver turned it back and ran a scan. Nothing was showing up, but Oliver knew he had been hacked. The evidence was right there in front of him. And he talked to Sara until two in the morning. It was somewhere around one thirty or so that he had gotten up and placed his laptop in the Faraday cage. Obviously, that was where he should have left it.

            Snagging a Post-It note, Oliver scribbled off a message to Digg. _We need the briefcase Waller designed. The computer needs to be cleaned._

            Diggle nodded when he read it. They could not take any chances. Whoever hacked the system might have access to anything and everything. Well, everything save his diary. A master hacker from China had set that up right before he died. Anatoly had wanted the man dead and Oliver wanted somewhere to hide his innermost thoughts. It seemed like a fair trade off to save the man’s life. Only the guy had other enemies. It was not a day after Oliver had secured him passage out of Russia that the man was found impaled on a street lamp. Anatoly had applauded Oliver’s ingenuity on making it look like an accident. Oliver refused to tell him that it had not been his handy work at all that brought the man to the other side.

            A knock sounded on Oliver’s office door. He shot Digg a look and Diggle swept up the laptop and placed it under his suit jacket. The briefcase was in the car. A portable Faraday cage, if you will. Diggle would take care of making sure it got to A.R.G.U.S. to be examined.

            “Come in,” Oliver called out before nodding in Digg’s direction.

            Felicity peeked around the corner of the door and Oliver jumped out of his chair and grinned. He missed her. “Hi. Is it okay if I come in?”

            “Sure,” Oliver waved her in as he nervously straightened his clothes. “Digg was just leaving for a quick errand.”

            She smiled and waved at Digg, as if seeing him every day was not unexpected. “Hi, Mr. Diggle.”

            “Miss Smoak.” He nodded at her. Diggle’s eyes moved back to Oliver. “I’m going to go take care of that issue.”

            “Thank you.” Oliver waved Felicity closer. “Would you like to sit down?” He waited until Diggle closed the door before he made his way around his desk and captured her around the waist. “Or kiss me?”

            “Hmm,” Felicity hummed up at him before he pulled her tight to his body. Right where he had wanted her since he woke up that morning.

            Oliver’s hands made their way into her hair of their own violation. He stared down at her and smiled before he leaned down and brought his lips to hers. Oliver tilted her head slightly so he could penetrate her mouth much more fully. It was sad how much he craved the feel of this woman. Everything around him was a chaotic mess but this… This was the one thing that settled him. It allowed a certain sense of clarity to kick in. A clarity that reminded him what Felicity was capable of.

            He pulled back from her, his hands still cradling her face. Her eyes slowly opened. The blueness of them penetrating through him, much as his was probably doing to her. “Did you hack my laptop?”

            Oliver interrogated enough people to see the subtle changes and that she did them all. Her head cocked to the side as she continued to stare at him with her lips puckered. Felicity’s body froze against his. That also allowed him to feel how shallow her breaths were in comparison to her racing heart. When she did move, she shifted away from him. But more than that, the ever talkative Felicity Smoak grew suspiciously silent. “Felicity.”

            “Why would I… I mean, there’s no need for me…” She nervously laughed and pulled away from him crossing her arms. “It’s not like I would have access to…”

            _Let the stuttering begin_ , Oliver thought. Yep, she was definitely lying. The next question was why? Followed quickly by when?

            Anatoly had warned him she was dangerous. And Helix was after her. Maybe they already recruited her while he had been distracted. Or maybe it had all been meant to distract him from the fact that she was already compromised. Though, Oliver was pretty sure Waller would have said something if Felicity was already in the game. Anatoly, too.

            She turned and tried to run, but Oliver caught her at the closed door. He locked it and refused to budge. She was going to have to talk to him. “Felicity. Sit.”

            Felicity nodded and slipped silently onto a chair. Oliver could not take the chance that she would escape at the soonest opportunity. That’s why he perched on his desk just two feet from where she sat. He would be able to snag her before she managed to get anywhere.

            Oliver crossed his arms and stared hard at her in an attempt to be threatening. “You’re going to have to talk to me. We’re not leaving here until you do.”

            “But, class…” Fearful eyes shot over to the locked door.

            “Will be missed. Yours and mine.” Oliver cocked his head at her. “Unless you want to start talking.”

            When she looked back up at him, Oliver wanted to crawl out of his own skin. Tears shimmered there, but it was the absolute fear that hit him hard. She was scared of him. Killing him might have been easier to deal with.

            Oliver dropped down to his knees in front of her. It felt like the appropriate place to be. Whatever she found out about him, he had to beg her forgiveness. Oliver could not stand the fact that she might walk out of his life forever. Hell, if she did work for Helix, he’d deal with it. Give her just enough to make her superiors happy, but looking for more so she’d remain on his case. Any day, any hour, he had the chance to keep her in his life, he’d take it. She made him feel. Except for when he was with Diggle and his family, Oliver never had the chance to do that. To let the guard he kept around his heart open up and relax.

            “Tell me why,” Oliver begged her. He did not give a damn about the fact that she hacked his laptop. He wanted to know why she was so frightened of him.

            “My father.” Her hand clamped across her lips. Felicity’s eyes had grown wide at that revealing comment.

            “What about your father” Oliver kept his voice steady. It was so much harder than he anticipated.

            “What did you do to him?” Felicity muttered from behind her slim digits.

            “How do you know I even met your father?”

            Her hand dropped from her face and her eyes narrowed in anger. If he had any doubt that Felicity was the one who hacked his computer, he had his answer right there. That still wasn’t the issue. Nor was her anger. The anger he could deal with. Hell, he’d let her hit him until they both collapsed, so long as it was not the fear he had seen there earlier. “I read your diary entry.”

            “When?” As far as he knew, she had not been near him in the long hours since he composed it.

            “Last night.” Felicity pushed away from him as she rose and went over the window that lay behind his desk. “I came to the club to talk to you. I wanted to know why you were so interested in my hack of the satellite.” She turned to face him, her hands rubbing up and down her arms. It was a protective and comforting move. The fact that she needed to do that with him was unsettling. He never wanted her to feel that way near him.

            It was as he stood there staring at her that he realized what she was wearing. It was a sleeveless blue shift dress. She looked deliciously adorable and so unlike how she normally looked when she came to his classes. Usually, she was dressed much more casually. Was this outfit meant to distract him while she searched for the printouts that she sent to his printer? The ones that lay there right for her to pick up on the top of his desk.

            “You want the truth,” Oliver said because it was pretty obvious that’s what she was in search of.

            “It would be nice. But apparently, you don’t trust me with it, even after we…” She waved between them. “You know.”

            “It was sex, Felicity.” Unfortunately. Next time it would mean so much more. Diggle was right. Oliver needed to learn. And he wanted to learn with the woman in front of him, but circumstances seemed to be making that virtually impossible.

            “Yes, it was,” she agreed.

            “That’s not what I meant and you know that.” Oliver went around the desk and tried to pull her into his arms. She sidestepped him. Oliver’s hands went to settle by his sides in tight fists. He was losing something precious here. How far was he willing to go to keep it? “Fine.”

            Her blue, confused eyes rose to his. “Fine?”

            Oliver nodded. “What do you want to know?”

            “Tell me about my father. Let’s start there.”

            Oliver noticed she braced herself on his desk. Maybe it was for the best. The story of her father was not a good one. Or complete, since Anatoly refused to share why Kuttler was really there. “What do you know of your father’s activities over the past several years?”

            Felicity shrugged. “I know he’s a criminal and that he’s wanted by the police.”

            “He was helping a mob organization and he got caught stealing.” Oliver decided to rip off the bandage.

            “But how does that…” Her eyes grew larger and a small gasp came out of her mouth. She tripped over the heels of her shoes while backing away from him. He wanted to reach out and catch her. It broke every one of his instincts not to, but it would not be appreciated. The understanding that he was involved with the referred to mob lay heavy between them.

            Oliver wished he could tell her the whole truth. That would put a lot of people in danger, though. People he cared about. It wasn’t fair. To save them, he had to ruin this. But the alternative was much worse than a couple of broken hearts. If he told Felicity the truth, Thea, Diggle and his family could be captured, tortured and/or killed. “I’m sorry, Felicity.”

            “Sorry? Sorry!” Felicity shot him a disgusted look. It was full of venom. “That was my father. I don’t care what he’s done or what he just did.” Felicity slammed her hands on the top of his desk. The crack of it sent Oliver’s spine straightening. “You knew. You knew he was my father and you did it anyway. I can see it in your eyes.”

            “He’s not dead, Felicity. He very well could be.” It was the truth. For Noah’s crimes, he could have died. Others had been killed for less. But Oliver _was_ there. He was aware that it was Felicity’s father. The woman he had just stroked and caressed with his hands less than an hour before. “He could be paralyzed. He’s not any of those things because I care. Damn it.”

            Oliver turned away from her because his control was likely to snap at any moment. He would take it out on everything that lay in this office before he raised a hand to her. The fact that he was this out of control bothered him. Never had he reached this point so fast.

            “You care?” It was more of an accusation. She might as well have hit him. He heard her heels as she made her way around him. Felicity reached out and grabbed his arm giving it a small shake. “You hurt my father. You interrogated me. You’ve hidden who you really are.” Felicity threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. “I still don’t even know who that person is. Yet, you are going to stand there and tell me you care?” She jabbed a finger into his chest. It was bound to leave a bruise. The only lingering reminder that she was there. Other than the heartbreak. “If this is caring, I don’t want it. Any of it.”

            Oliver nodded at her. It killed him. The last thing he wanted was to see her go. “Are you… Are you dropping my class?”

            “Do I need to?”

            “No.” It hurt to talk.

            She nodded at him. There seemed like there was some sort of understanding that passed between them. She wasn’t leaving him completely, but she was leaving. “I will see you tonight then. From this moment on, we are nothing to each other than a professor and a student.”

            Oliver watched her leave his office. His hands shook and he placed them in the pockets of his pants. An emptiness invaded him. He had not felt this alone in a really long time. Felicity not only sucked the life from his office but his heart as well. So much for not becoming attached.

            “You look upset,” Waller remarked as she entered his office. “Get over it. We have work to do.”

            “Thanks,” Oliver said with an edge of sarcasm. He went over to his desk. He needed to get his things together. He was already late. His class was about to start in two minutes and he still needed to get over to the hall where it was held. Luckily, he was known for being late.

            “I passed Ms. Smoak.” Waller cocked her head studying him, waiting for a response that she did not receive. “She looked worse than you do.”

            Oliver did not even bother to acknowledge her, but it made him feel even worse that Felicity was so upset. He made her that way by sticking to the web of lies that made up his life. “Is she working for Helix?”  

           “Not as far as A.R.G.U.S. is aware? Did you receive Intel otherwise?”

            “No. Do you know about the laptop?”

            “That she hacked your system?” Waller nodded. “One of the agents debriefed me while I waited for you tete a tete to finish.”

            So, she was not here because of the breach. That made Oliver curious. “Why are you here? I have class.” Oliver walked around her swinging his bag over his shoulder. “I don’t have time for games, Waller.”

            She reached out and grabbed his arm. Her nail bit through the fabric. “You have time if I say you do. You work for me, remember?”  

            “I do.” Oliver’s eyes turned glacial as they met hers. He shook her hand from his arm and ground out, “Don’t touch me. I work for you. You don’t own me.”

            “I would not be so sure of that, Mr. Queen.” The smile she graced him with, challenged his words.

            “Go to hell, Amanda.”

            She inclined her head. “I was already there. Gorgeous place, but hell nonetheless.” Waller crossed her arms, her expression even more bleak than normal. “It’s fairly easy to make that your next assignment. However, I don’t know how appreciative Diggle would be.”

            “Leave Digg out of this.” There were times Oliver pictured in his head all the ways he could kill this woman. Ways she taught him. Ways he learned throughout the years that would make a person beg for death. All of these came to him now.

            “Luckily for you, you’re talents lie elsewhere at the moment.” Waller reached into the miniscule pocket of her suit jacket. She extracted a piece of paper. “Your next assignment.”

            Oliver yanked the paper from her hand. Opening it up, Oliver saw a name. “Isabel Roshev.” He looked up at Waller. “And?”

            “She has valuable documents with her. Ones that she obtained from one of our Russian operatives. She supposed to present them to your friend Knysev tomorrow night. You’ll get them from her, by any means necessary.”

            “Or?” Oliver knew he was threatening her. It was a dangerous thing to do. He didn’t care. Oliver had very little to lose at the moment.

            “Or, Anatoly discovers how deeply involved you are with A.R.G.U.S. Your name is one of the ones meant to be exposed.” Waller’s left eyebrow shot up. He knew she asked him silently if that was how he wanted to die, at Anatoly’s hand. Because he would. As a traitor to the brotherhood.

            “So, I get her to let me come back to where she is staying and extract the papers. Seems like something any other operative could do,” Oliver said to her wondering why she needed him.

            Waller shook her head. “I never said they were papers. She took an encrypted laptop. I sent an operative in already. She has three identical laptops and the operative was unable to get the one we needed before being spotted.” Waller frowned and her foot tapped her impatience with the whole mission. Plus, she really hated incompetence and having to explain herself. “We need that laptop replaced with a dummy.”

            “How the hell am I supposed to know which one?”

            “Well,” Waller said with a shrug, “if someone was a little more compelling, we’d have the help of an up and coming hacker.”

            She meant Felicity. And there was no way that Oliver was going to pull her into A.R.G.U.S. under Waller’s thumb, let alone bring her into such a dangerous situation. “No.”

            Waller shrugged, crossing her arms again. “It’s your life at stake.” She began to walk away. “And since Diggle’s your partner, I’m pretty sure his name is linked there too. Plus, we keep soft targets in those files. I’ll leave you to explain that.”

            Oliver ran to catch up to her. “You will not harm Diggle’s kids.”

            “I’m not,” she told him. “Lyla means a lot to my organization. But, I cannot guarantee the Bratva feels the same way.”

            “Damn it, Amanda.” She knew that she left him between a rock and a hard place. She liked to keep all her operatives there. That was her way of guaranteeing that they would do what she wanted when she wanted it.

            She pulled a hand out and tapped him on the arm. With any other person, it might have felt comforting. “The decision’s yours, Mr. Queen. I have faith that you will follow through. How you do it is of no concern to me. I expect that laptop to be in my office by this time tomorrow.”

            With that Waller walked away. She laid down what she wanted. It was up to him to make sure that the mission was carried out.

                       


	8. A Fragile Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver has a choice to make where Isabel Rochev is concerned. The decision he makes impacts not only his life, but his friend and Felicity's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still amazed at the support that this story has received. Thank you so much to everyone, but most importantly, my beta who has hung with me through a lot. And makes sure that I get chapters to you when I need to. Hugs, Meagan.

           Oliver sat there after his class finished and cradled his head in his hands. He had been through the wringer mentally the whole time that class was in session, so it was nice to finally have a moment to think. Waller needed the laptop. His friends needed to remain safe. And Oliver had to insure that Felicity was not involved in any of the espionage that ruled his life. More than that, Oliver could not sleep with Isabel Rochev. Just the thought of it repulsed him.

            Obviously this was one target that Waller had not done a thorough investigation on. If she had, she would know that Isabel was one woman Oliver would never have sexual relations with. She was his father’s lover. Or was at the time when his parents divorced. Robert Queen had long since moved on. Isabel had made the mistake of believing that his father had any intention of making another woman his wife.

            “You look like hell,” Diggle noted as he walked over and sat on the edge of Oliver’s desk. He sniffed the air. “You reek of Waller.”

            Oliver turned and took an experimental sniff of his suit. There was nothing distinctive to note. “I don’t.”

            “It’s an expression, man,” Diggle said with a laugh. “So, she was here.”

            “Yes. She paid me a visit.” Oliver reached inside his bag and pulled out the paper Waller had given him earlier. “New assignment. Due tomorrow.”

            Diggle snagged it and unfolded the paper. His face fell into a frown. “No way. Rochev?”

            Oliver nodded and slapped his hands on the desk before he leaned back in his chair. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

            “What information does she have?” Diggle crossed his arms, his face a mask of seriousness.

            Oliver pushed out of his chair. “She has a laptop full of encrypted documents from a Russian agent.”

            “I heard about that from Lyla,” Diggle noted with a nod. “She never mentioned Rochev.”

            “Apparently, part of it was a list of agents that are employed with A.R.G.U.S. through the Russian division. You and I are both on it according to Waller.”

            Diggle jumped up. He looked ready to kill. “Lyla said soft targets are on those lists.” Diggle leaned on the desk his eyes directed right on Oliver. “My kids are on there.”

            “I know.” Oliver reached out to his friend, but Diggle shrugged it off and walked away. Oliver knew it had nothing to do with him. Diggle was pissed off that Waller had let it go this far. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to handle this. Amanda wants me to use Felicity. There’s three identical laptops in play. Only one of them contains the information. Amanda is sending a dummy computer to trade off.”

            “If Felicity is what it takes to save me kids, how can you question bringing her in?” Diggle glared at Oliver. “It’s my kids, Oliver. Your godchildren.” Diggle shook his head in an attempt to shake off his anger. “You wouldn’t question this if you had seen what happened with your laptop. The techs scrambled to even find the Trojan Felicity buried. She hid it deep, man. No normal tech would have found that if she hadn’t screwed up.”  

           “But she did screw up,” Oliver pointed out. And that was what scared him. “Which means she could do so on this mission. I can’t take that chance.” Oliver began to pace. One agent already lost his life over this. Oliver was not about to throw Felicity into that much danger. Her inexperience in subterfuge could result in all of them dying. “We could get caught. Then what?”

            “Then don’t use her,” Diggle said. “Use someone with experience.”

            “Where am I going to get…” Oliver stopped. No. He could not be seriously contemplating this. But, it made the most sense.

            “What are you thinking?” Diggle asked.

            “I’m thinking I know the perfect person.” Oliver winked at Diggle and went to pack up his things. “It’s ingenious. And maybe this way, Felicity can trust me again.”

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “This is the third pint of ice cream you’ve had today,” Barry told Felicity as he tossed a bag at her. When she glared at him, he held up his hands in defense. “Iris is keeping track.”

            Caitlin dropped an arm around Felicity’s shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. You cry into your ice cream if you want to.”

            Felicity smiled as her friend hugged her before she rose off the couch. Caitlin made a beeline for Barry with a frown. He screamed as Caitlin grabbed his ear and drug him off to the side. Felicity couldn’t hear what they were saying, but just by their body language, Caitlin was ripping Barry a new one for mentioning the ice cream.

            And so what if she skipped classes and sat there eating ice cream? It wasn’t every day that you find out a guy that you were interested in was a mobster. One that tortured people no less. The one who recently hurt her father.

            All of that deserved serious ice cream calories as far as Felicity was concerned. Especially, as a lot of them were burned off by the racking sobs that came between each pint.

            How hard was it to find a nice, normal guy? People did it all the time. What was so wrong with her that she seemed incapable of it?

            Her father was wanted by the FBI. Her ex had committed suicide after being sent to jail for a hack that obliterated a bunch of student loans. None of which had been hers. And now, Oliver Queen, mobster in disguise. Who could she pick next? Drug dealer? Low life pimp?

            “What time is it?” Felicity asked the two of them. She only just realized that it was growing darker outside.

            Caitlin glanced down at her watch. “Almost eight, why?”

            “Eight,” Felicity squealed. “No. I’m supposed to be in class. Oliver’s class.”

            _Frack, frackety frack!_ She was late. Felicity had been so determined to show him that all of this did not affect her. And here she was in a pair of pajamas, her face an absolute mess from crying. It wasn’t fair.

            Scrambling around the dorm room, Felicity threw on a pair of sweats over her pajamas and grabbed her bag. She’d run to the bathroom on the way out to wash her face and replace at least her lipstick. Actual makeup, though much needed, was going to have to be forgotten due the limited time constraints.

            “I have to go,” Felicity told her two friends. “Can you lock up on your way out?”

            “Sure,” Caitlin told her waving her toward the door. “Go.”

            Felicity nodded at her and ran. No matter how hard she tried she was tremendously late. By the time she reached the classroom, she was out of breath and on edge. Grabbing for the door, Felicity almost crashed into it with the force she tried to open it when it did not cooperate. It was locked. Oliver locked her out. Son of a bitch.

            She went to peer in the window. No one seemed to be there. Not a single person. Trying her best, Felicity tried to angle herself to see the desk Oliver used. As far as she could tell, he was not there either. Just for the hell of it, Felicity knocked.

            “No one’s there,” a voice confirmed from behind her.

            Felicity turned and discovered a blonde woman there dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. Her hands were buried deep into the pockets of her coat. Despite her small stature, the woman intimidated Felicity. “Oh. I was late for class.”

            “It was cancelled,” the woman said with a nod toward the door. She cocked her head and gave Felicity a thorough once over. “You wouldn’t happen to be Felicity Smoak, would you?”

            For a second, Felicity thought about telling her no. Instead she nodded her head slowly. She had no idea why she would give up her identity to this woman, but in spite of the fear that her appearance made Felicity feel, she also felt like she could trust this woman.

            A grin split the blonde’s face. “You’re cute. I knew Ollie had better taste than he usually shows.”

            “Ollie?” Felicity had never heard the nickname before. Or did Thea call him that once? Felicity could not be sure in that moment. Her brain was in overdrive between the surge of adrenaline of trying to get to class and then meeting this other woman. Plus, add in the crying and coming down from a sugar rush, and Felicity was lucky she wasn’t in some sort of permanent fog.

            The woman held out a hand. “I’m Sara. Nice to meet you.”

            Felicity reluctantly took the woman’s hand and shook it. It was smaller than Felicity first expected, more delicate. But, Felicity was still not quite sure what to make of this woman.

            “Would you like to grab a cup of coffee and talk?” Sara asked.

            “Uh… Sure.” Felicity’s curious nature was sparked by this woman. The blonde radiated danger. So, why did she also feel like she could trust her? It was completely weird. Well, not completely. Oliver tended to have the same effect on her after she made the disastrous discovery of who he was. Maybe, even before that.

           

OQFSOQFSOQFS

           

            Noah Kuttler examined Oliver with critical eyes as he stood at the door of his apartment. “What are you doing here?”

            Oliver let out a deep sigh. He still could not believe he was going to follow through on this. But what other choice did he have? There was no way that Oliver was going to let Diggle’s family get hurt. “I need your help.”

            The gray haired man let out a chuckle that was anything but mirthful. “Why should I help you?”

            “Because I know your daughter and where to find her.” Oliver met the man’s eyes head on. He refused to flinch. If Noah thought his daughter was in danger he was much more likely to listen.

            “Come in.” Noah waved him inside the small studio apartment. The place was mostly dominated with computer equipment. The only place to sit was what looked like a pullout couch and a chair that sat behind a desk.

            Oliver decided to remain standing. If his plan was to work, the two of them needed to leave soon. Noah took the seat behind the computer. It was where he felt the most comfortable and in control, Oliver noted to himself. Even if Noah’s left arm was up in a sling because Oliver had broken it. If Anatoly had gotten what he wanted, it would have been shattered.

            “Why are you here?”

            “I told you,” Oliver said. “I need your help.”

            “What do you know of my daughter?” Noah asked with narrowed eyes. “Felicity has nothing to do with all of this. I haven’t seen her in years.”

            Oliver really wished Noah did not use her name. It hurt. He hoped that pain did not reflect on his face. “If you don’t help me, I’ll have to involve her.” It was the truth. One that Oliver did not want to think about. “You don’t want that.”

            Noah studied him. It was effective, because Noah seemed to gleam the feelings that Oliver tried hard to suppress. “Neither do you.”

            “No. I don’t,” Oliver admitted.

            “What’s my daughter to you?”

            “Nothing.” Oliver bit the inside of his cheek to repress the pain of that statement. She was nothing. Now. Because that was what Felicity wanted. She did not want anything to do with him, outside of teaching her Russian. He had destroyed the trust that lay between them by not telling her who he was when she came to his office. Little did she know that the less she knew the safer she was. From everyone. And considering the organizations that coveted her, that said a lot.

            “I don’t believe you, but I’ll hear you out.” Noah waved at him. “Go ahead. What do you need me to do?”

            “I need to steal an encrypted laptop.”

            “Espionage isn’t exactly my thing.” Noah held up his broken arm and indicated where his leg was wrapped in a brace. “Nor something that I am entirely capable of doing in timely manner.”

            Oliver nodded in understanding. He had brought them to this point, but there was still a way of getting it all done. “I understand that. However, there is three identical laptops. All encrypted. Only one has the information I need. A list of agents.” Oliver shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “I need you to get me the correct one and swap it with one with a dummy list.”

            Noah seemed to consider this as he leaned back in his chair. “You wanted my daughter involved in this?”

            “No. That’s why I came to you?” Oliver shifted uncomfortably under the man’s scrutiny. “The last guy who tried to obtain the laptop was caught and shot.”

            “I’d prefer that both my daughter and I to remain alive,” Noah said with earnest. “But seeing as the choice is me or her, I will do it. Under one condition.”

            “You want to see her,” Oliver noted understanding the unspoken request.

            “I do.” Noah rose carefully from his chair. “I don’t need to talk to her, Mr. Queen, just to see her. Then, I’ll help you.”

            Oliver nodded. He could appreciate that. Oliver did have a son of his own who he never laid eyes on. “I’ll see what I can do, but she won’t see me.”

            “What did you do?” Fatherly concern lined his face. Oliver did not for a second believe any of it was geared toward him. If anything, Oliver was only in more danger of having the man turn down the help that was needed. An angry father could be combustible.

            “I hurt her.” When Noah surged toward him, Oliver held up a hand stopping him. “Not like that.” Oliver shook his head. There was no way that Oliver could hurt Felicity. Not in a physical sense. “Not like that. I would never do that.”

            “You broke her heart.”

            Oliver shook his head again as his chin touched down on his chest for a moment of real pain. “She might have broken mine.” Oliver swallowed hard and raised his head to stare at Noah. He could not allow his feelings come to the forefront. Too much was at stake. “Doesn’t matter. She’s not speaking to me because I broke her trust. But, I’ll arrange something. Only can we do it after we get the laptop? Because for my plan to work, we need to leave in the next ten minutes.”

            “Fine.” Noah turned and began to gather some things together into a bag. “I’ll help you get the computer, but as soon as you have it, I want to see my daughter.”

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Felicity cradled the coffee mug in front of her as she sat across from Sara in some shady coffee shop in the Glades. Sara seemed alert to everything around her despite her similar relaxed pose. Like a resting snake ready to pounce at any moment. Raising the mug to her lips, Felicity took a hesitant sip of the hot liquid trying to figure out how to start the conversation.

            “You’re not just Ollie’s student,” Sara finally said breaking the heavy silence that lay between them.

            “What makes you say that?” Felicity asked as she set the mug back down.

            “Because when I asked Ollie if he was seeing someone, he had this far off look that turned sad.” Sara sipped her own coffee for a moment. “It was someone who hurt him recently. And considering he’s never been hurt by any woman, save his wife, that says a lot. Then I saw you. You looked hurt too.”

            “He has a wife?” Felicity barely processed anything Sara said after that word.

            “He had a wife,” Sara corrected. She shook her head and grimaced. “They never should have gotten married.”

            “Oh.” There wasn’t much more that Felicity could say to that. She had never seen anything online about his marriage, so it must have been a carefully guarded secret. And a mistake, if Sara was correct.

            “Oliver would be married to my sister if he didn’t marry Samantha,” Sara continued. “That would have been so much worse. At least Samantha knew when to get out. Laurel would have held him on the hook just to keep the Queen name.” Sara grimaced and took another sip of her coffee. “From what I’ve heard she’s still trying.”

            “Why are you telling me this?” Felicity asked her confused as to why someone so close to Oliver would be sharing this information with a complete stranger. Or, at least, a complete stranger to her.

            “Because these are the secrets I can tell,” Sara told her. She shook her head and stared down into her mug for a moment before her head raised up to look Felicity right in the eye. “Ollie has a lot of them. Many are not by choice.” Sara reached out and ran a hand over one of Felicity’s in a comforting manner. One in which Felicity did not know she was capable of until she did it. “That doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. Sometimes, he cares too much.”

            Sara let out a snort sort of laugh and clenched her mug tightly in her hands. “He deserves to feel. Even if everyone around him seems to think of him as no more than a weapon to be used for their own purposes.” Sara shrugged slightly with a small laugh that held no humor, but it seemed like she was shrugging off a thought more than shrugging for an answer. “How many guns do you know of that can love?”

            “That’s not fair.” Were there really people out there using Oliver for their own purposes? Was that why he could not seem to talk to her?

            “No. It’s not,” Sara agreed. “So, when I found out there was someone in Ollie’s life that he could care about, I had to find her.” Sara met Felicity’s eyes intently. “And when that woman seemed to return his feelings, I had to get to know her.”

            “Me?” Felicity pointed to herself in disbelief.

            Sara nodded. “You.”

            “I don’t think… I mean, I know we… But, there was no…” Felicity blushed and stumbled over her words. Sure she had begun to develop feelings for Oliver, but other than lust, not one other emotion showed up as far as Felicity could tell on Oliver’s part.

            “Give him a chance, Felicity,” Sara said. “He’s new to this.”

            Felicity laughed nervously. “From what I read about him, he seemed to have plenty of practice as far as women are concerned. And that’s not even going into the dozens of rumors that surround him.”

            “He was a playboy when he was younger,” Sara admitted. “He’s not that guy anymore. He hasn’t been for a long time.”

            “I don’t know if I can.” It was the honest truth. Felicity had men hurt her before. Too many times. She was not quite sure if she had it in her to take that chance with Oliver knowing that he had to keep things from her from the onset.

            “I understand.” Sara nodded at her, but her face had turned sad. “Can I ask for another favor then?”

            “What?” What could Sara possibly ask her for now? What she already asked for seemed like it the world.

            “Stay away from him. Drop his class.” Sara stared over at Felicity intently. There was a small threat there. “Don’t see him. Don’t go to Verdant. Don’t allow him to see you. Any contact will only hurt him more than he’s already been hurt and what he does is too dangerous for that kind of distraction.”

            Felicity swallowed back the tears that began to form. Too never see Oliver again? Why did that sound so much harder than it should be?

            “You can’t agree to that, can you?” Sara asked cupping her mug tightly close to her mouth.

            “No.”

            Sara nodded and a small smile appeared on the edges of her lips over the rim of her mug. She took a small sip and set it back on the table. “I’m glad. Because you might be the best thing that ever happened to him. If you’re not willing to run away now, then you might be the one that can live with who he really is.” Sara reached out and grabbed both of Felicity’s hands within her own. She squeezed them. “I admire you. You’re stronger than I thought. You don’t know how much he needs that.”

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “Dad,” Oliver called out to his father with a smile on his face. “I’m so glad you could meet me here.”

            “Son.” Robert Queen turned from the bar where he sat and grinned over at his son before rising to give him a hug. “I’m glad you called. It’s been too long.”

            It might not have been so long if his father did not work so hard and party even harder. For an older man, he made Oliver’s actions as a young man seem almost tame. “Is our table ready?”

            Robert nodded and turned to pay his tab. “I was just waiting on you.”

            “Great.” Oliver had already done recon to know exactly where Isabel Rochev sat. He had tipped the host to specifically lead them that way as they approached their table. Pressing a button on his phone, Oliver set a signal up to Diggle who was with Noah upstairs in the hotel near Isabel’s room. They’d be able to break into her suite while she was distracted. The question was whether the distraction would be a conversation or a fight.

            It did not take long to find out. Oliver made sure his father led behind the host so that he’d be able to see Isabel. And with a few well-placed words, Oliver drew Isabel’s attention over to them.

            “Robert?” was said about the same time, Oliver’s father mumbled, “Isabel?”

            The four of them, including the host, stood there awkwardly. The dining room surrounding them grew increasingly silent as they watched the tableau.

            It was Isabel who finally broke the tension. “Robert, it’s nice to see you.” She waved at the table in front of her. “Would you, and your son, care to join me for dinner?”

            Oliver saw his father look over at him and he nodded his assent. This was going just the way Oliver hoped it would. His other alternative was to invite Isabel over to their own table. Anything to give Diggle and Noah enough time to find the right laptop and remove it from Isabel’s possession.

            “Thank you,” Oliver told the host. “We’ll be joining Ms. Rochev.”

            “Of course, sir.” The man nodded and returned to the front of the house after Oliver slipped him another bill for his trouble.

            After an hour of inane conversation and outright flirting, Oliver was nauseous and ready to leave. There was only one hitch, Diggle had yet to text him that they were finished upstairs.

            “So, Oliver,” Isabel turned her attention over to him. It was bad enough she had ran both her foot and her hand up his leg on multiple occasions, now she was seemed like she wished to speak to him. “Have you been seeing anyone lately?”

            “No.” Oliver refused to bring up Felicity. Her name was already bandied about by too many people. Plus, he wasn’t actually seeing Felicity at the moment. In fact, they never had actually managed to even go out on one date. They had skipped too many steps before he took her to bed. Another reason why she should hate him. Oliver had treated her like all the other women he used to date when he was younger. Which is not how he had wanted to treat her, but he had gone on automatic pilot after Waller had brought up her name.

            “I’m surprised,” Robert said setting down his wine glass. “I thought when I spoke to Thea recently that she mentioned someone. She told me you seemed really happy for once.”

            Oliver shrugged. “Nothing permanent. I thought it might be something, but it wasn’t. No big deal.”

            “Hmm.” Robert studied him. Oliver could tell his father was wondering what the rest of the story was. Had they been there alone, Oliver might have shared. It might be nice to get more insight on what to do. However, Isabel was there. Isabel who currently held his and Diggle’s lives on the line.

            “Sir,” the host tapped Oliver on the shoulder. “Your driver is waiting outside.”

            His driver? Diggle. He and Noah must be done.

            “Is something wrong?” Robert asked him in concern. “I thought we were heading over to the club after dinner.”

            Oliver set his napkin down and rose. “I better go and see what’s going one. There must have been some sort of miscommunication about the time.”

            “Of course.” Robert gave him a smile, but Isabel sent Oliver a sideways glance. She suspected something. Oliver would have to return as quickly as possible to finish this train wreck of a dinner.

            Going outside, Oliver approached the town car. Diggle rolled down the driver’s side window. “What’s going on? Did you get the laptop?”

            “We did,” Diggle told him with a nod, but he looked too serious for the mission to be over. “One problem. She cloned the file. It was on all three laptops. Noah’s still upstairs scrubbing all the data.”

            “Shit!” Oliver glanced back at the hotel. “I’m not sure how much longer I can hold her off. She seemed suspicious about me coming out here.”

            “Kuttler needs at least another hour.”

            “He might not have an hour.” Oliver ran his fingers through his hair. This was not good.

            Diggle gave him a brief nod. “What do you want us to do?”

            “We need to clear the cache. If she even has one piece of that file, lives could be in trouble.” Oliver scrubbed at his face. How did things go sideways so fast? “I thought Noah would be faster than this.”

            “He said something about military grade Cobalt encryption.” Diggle shrugged. “I was lost about two minutes in.”

            “Fine. Just tell him to hurry.” Oliver glanced around the area. “Hey.”

            “Yeah?”

            “If you’re here, who’s watching Kuttler?’

            “I tagged him with a GPS. I told him if he moved until it was done, he wouldn’t be seeing Felicity ever again,” John said much too seriously for Oliver’s liking. It made him blanch. He was aware of John’s meaning and the fact that Digg would not follow through with his threat. However, just the thought of Felicity being hurt turned Oliver’s stomach. He needed to see her, maybe more than her father did.

            “Go. I need to head in,” Oliver told his partner. “I’ll let you know if Isabel leaves.”

            “Will do.” Diggle nodded, rolled up his window and drove away. It was only to the back of the building, but it had to give the impression that he was going away for now.

            Oliver heaved a sigh and walked back toward the hotel to get back to the restaurant inside. He’d exchange his entire trust fund to have Felicity by his side right now. First, because then he’d know for sure she was safe. And, second, because he needed her. He need her light. Her trust. Her love. Sadly, he had none of that at the moment. But, if he tried, maybe he could have some of it back. As a dying man would tell you, you don’t miss something until it is gone.

           

           


	9. Backbone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is ready to leave his dad and Isabel behind. Sara gives Oliver a little bit of insight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for being so patient with me while I put this story on hold. I do already have another chapter written up after this one, but I am waiting on my beta's opinion on whether it needs to be changed or not. So, there is another chapter to look forward to soon.

 

 

     Oliver stood there at the entrance to the restaurant and formulated a plan. It seemed his father and Isabel were ready to leave as they met up with him. They wanted to get a nightcap up in her room, but Diggle and Kuttler needed more time. When Oliver’s phone rang, he cursed the timing. It ended up being a blessing in disguise, giving him a great idea when he saw who the call was from. He sent it to voicemail vowing to get in touch with Thea the second he could.

     Reaching out for his father’s arm, Oliver stopped him. “Thea just texted. She’s wondering if we’re still heading over to see her.” Thea, of course, said no such thing. He’d have to text her and let her know about his little white lie. “Isabel, why don’t you join us? We were heading over to Verdant before we had the fortune of meeting up with you.”

     Isabel seemed conflicted. Her eyes shot over to the elevator bank and back over to them as if not sure if she should stay or leave. Finally, a smile that did not quite reach her eyes illuminated her face. It reminded Oliver of the ones that Amanda Waller used. “Of course. I’d love to see Thea again.”

  
     “Great,” Robert said with a genuine smile of his own. He extended his arm out to Isabel. “It’s settled then.”

     “I’ll have to call my driver back around,” Oliver told them. He had to give Diggle a heads up that things were going down and that they needed to finish quickly. “I sent him back to the garage. It may take a few minutes.”

     “We’ll wait by the bar.” Robert nodded at his son and led Isabel back inside over to the sleek bar that the restaurant had near the front.

     Thea was not going to be happy. She hated Isabel much more than Oliver ever could. Probably because Isabel had her clutches so far into their father that he almost left with her when Thea was young. Thea had broken her arm after being thrown from a horse during summer camp back when she was twelve and it was then that Robert had made the fateful decision to leave Isabel behind and remain with the family he already had. Malcolm had been sure to share that story with her in an attempt to further drive her away from the man who had raised her. 

     Oliver pulled out his phone and called Digg. “Hey. We’re ready to head to the club. Isabel is coming with us.”

     “Good. We just finished here,” Diggle replied. “Just doing clean up now.”

     In other words, Digg was wiping the place clean. At least the pair finished in time. Their part was completed. Oliver envied them. He wished that he would not have to suffer through any more of Isabel’s presence, but that seemed far from likely. “We’ll meet you out front in ten.”

     “Copy that.”

     Hanging up with his partner, Oliver phoned his sister much more reluctantly. As he expected, she was less than enthusiastic at Isabel coming to Verdant. At least she had Roy as a buffer. Oliver could really use one to keep Isabel’s hands from his person. His father already proved that he was not likely to be what Oliver needed.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

     Oliver cursed. He really needed to clarify his wants to the universe. Because he did get a buffer. Just now he needed a buffer for his buffer.

     Laurel hung tightly to his arm. She seemed to know exactly where to be to block whatever advances Isabel attempted. However, her own roaming hands had Oliver fighting a raging headache of frustration. 

     “It must be exciting to be so young and at the top of your game. CEO of your own company is a great title to hold,” Laurel told Isabel. The side of her lips curled up. “Of course, it helps to have the support of men such as Mr. Queen to pave the way for you.”

     Oliver grimaced at the insult. Laurel might as well have said straight out that Isabel had slept her way to the top. Not that Isabel had not done exactly that. It definitely had helped her achieve her goals. 

     Isabel graced her with a smile that was barely more than a straight line. Her hands clenched so hard on the clutch she carried that her knuckles, normally olive in color, turned deathly white. “I earned my top position, Miss Lance.”

     Laurel’s eyes twinkled as she raised her wine glass to her lips. “I can see that you prefer to be on top.”

     Blood gushed in Oliver’s mouth after he bit his tongue to hold back his laughter. This catty side of Laurel hardly ever came out, but it was in full force tonight. It was more of a Sara thing, but Laurel wore it well when the occasion called for it.

     Spotting his sister, he waved her over. She had been by once for a couple of minutes before a waitress came by insisting that Thea needed to take care of an issue at the bar. It had all screamed a set up to keep her out of Isabel’s presence. Which worked for her. Unfortunately, Thea thought that sending Laurel his way would be good for him. He had every intention of _thanking_ her for that little blessing. 

     “Does anyone need a refill?” Thea asked as she joined them. 

     “We’re good. Join us,” Oliver insisted, his eyes boring into his sister’s.

     “I…” She glanced around for some excuse to leave. Oliver grasped her arm and his fingers gently bit into it. “I’d love to.”

     “Oh.” Laurel straightened at Oliver’s side and reached into her purse. “Hold on. My phone is buzzing.” She looked down at the Caller ID. “It’s my father. I need to take this.”

     She walked off and Isabel shifted closer to Oliver’s now free side. Luckily, Thea decided to jump over onto Laurel’s abandoned position. Oliver noticed Roy approaching and waved him over. The second the younger man saw Thea he beelined his way over and took up the spot Thea left. 

     “Hey, man.” Roy nodded at Oliver before facing Robert and holding his hand out. “Mr. Queen.”

     Robert shook the offered hand. “Roy, this is Isabel Roshev.” He indicated the woman standing next to him. “Isabel, this is Roy Harper, Thea’s boyfriend.”

     “Ms. Roschev, nice to meet you.” Roy reached out and shook her hand with a sideways glance over at Thea. She must have filled him in and Roy was trying to confirm that this was the woman Thea hated so much.

     “Mr. Harper.” Isabel barely gave Roy a glance and she retrieved her hand back quickly after giving him a perfunctory pump of her hand. Everyone seemed to have all the luck where Isabel was concerned, save Oliver. It made him wonder why he was not as graced. He would have taken her contempt in place of her flirting any day.

     Roy tapped Oliver on the arm. “You have a visitor.”

     “I do?”

     Roy nodded. “A blonde. I let her hang out in the office. She didn’t seem to want to hang around the club.”

     The first person Oliver thought of was Felicity. But Roy knew her. So why would he not say it was her? Unless she did not want everyone to know she was there. Still, that did not make any sense. Then it hit Oliver like a freight train. It had to be Sara.

     She probably spotted him with Laurel. He would not put it past her to somehow orchestrate her father’s phone call just to get Laurel from his side so she could make her presence known.

     “Dad, do you mind if I cut out a little early?”

  
     Robert smiled at him and held out a hand. “Of course not. I appreciate the time we had together tonight.” He pulled Oliver into a hug for a second. “Until next time. Go have fun.”

     “Thanks, Dad.” Oliver missed his dad’s hugs. And he did enjoy the time that they did get to spend together. They did not have the opportunity to do it all that often. Swallowing back his emotion, Oliver turned to his sister. “Thea, I’ll catch you tomorrow.”

      “You bet.” Thea gave him a brief nod. He saw her stink-eye as she glanced over at Isabel. Okay, so maybe he owed her instead of wanting to give her a piece of his mind for the whole Laurel thing. 

      Oliver made his way over to the office using the back way to avoid people as much as possible. He already had enough drama for one night. Hell, dealing with Isabel Roschev pushed his quotient for bullshit past his weekly limit. And that was not even counting the crap he had to deal with that came from Amanda Waller. 

      Knocking to announce his presence, Oliver pushed the office door open. He noticed Sara right away as she stood in front of the mirrored window that looked out to the club. Her hands were shoved deep into her back pockets of her jeans. Her shoulders were hunched forward like the weight of the world sat upon them and yet her head was raised at an angle that said she refused to back down from any challenge thrown at her. “Sara.”

      She turned and looked at him, not even a small smile gracing her face. “Hey.”

      “What’s going on?” Oliver approached her hoping she would share some of the burden that seemed to encompass her, but knowing that she would not. In that she was a lot like him. 

      Sara shrugged one shoulder and returned to watching the club. “I miss it.”

      “The club?” Why would she miss that? She never came to Verdant before she left. It wasn’t even opened until her supposed passing.

  
      Sara snorted. “No. Life. Being able to do whatever I want without worry. To think that my biggest worry is having the right clothes to hang out with my friends. To complain about how boring my job is. To…” Sara took a deep breath and it shuddered as it was released. “To just be with the person I love.”

      “I get that.” Oliver walked over and stood by her side. He might have to the appearance of having all the stuff that Sara mentioned, but he really didn’t. Oliver was just a pawn in a much larger game that the powers that be moved around the board at their own discretion. Times like this reminded him of that. Because if he was exactly who he portrayed, there would not be any friction with him and Felicity at the moment other than the fact that he was her professor. And, if that was the the only impediment, he could keep it in his pants for the rest of the semester, even two if he had to, until she moved on and graduated. That was not the case, however, so he had tried to grab at whatever crumbs he could get. Even that he managed to ruin in no time. 

     Sara turned and studied him. “I spoke to her.”

     “Who?” Oliver asked shaking himself out of his thoughts.

     “Felicity.” Sara waved at him. “You murmured her name.”

     “I did?” Oliver could not recall doing so, but then the rest of what Sara said caught his attention. “You did?”

     She laughed at him. At least it seemed to lighten whatever load she carried. Too bad it was at his own expense. “Yeah. On both counts.”

     “Why would you talk to her?” Oliver was still trying to come to terms with Sara and Felicity meeting up. “When?”

     “She showed up to your class that you cancelled."

  
     That confused Oliver even more. He had sent out an email blast to let all of his students know that class had been cancelled. Unless she never received the email. But this was Felicity. She was hardly ever without her phone.

     “She seemed upset. Not by the class being cancelled, just upset. Like she had been crying.”

     Damn it. Was it only that morning that he and Felicity had gotten into it? It seemed like a lifetime ago. “We had a fight.”

     “Um-hmm.” Sara nodded like she already knew. “I got that. I also get that it hurt both of you.” She crossed her arms and studied him. “The Ollie I knew is hardly ever hurt by women. They don’t tend to get under your skin enough to effect you. Felicity did. That makes me curious.”

  
     Oliver turned and began to pace the small amount of space that was available to walk. He had no real answer as to how Felicity was the one that had made it past his barriers. But, now that she had, he had no idea how to let her go either. Not that he wanted to. However, she did not fit into his life, his real life, no matter how many people insisted she was a piece to a much larger puzzle. It was a game that Oliver would prefer that she avoided. It already screwed with his own life. He knew of the consequences. Felicity was far from being prepared to enter into the ring.

     “You care about her,” Sara noted.

     “Yes.” Oliver stopped walking and raised his eyes to meet Sara’s. “I shouldn’t, but I do.”

     “Even that can hurt her. You know that.” Sara’s voice held an edge as if she knew someone who had been hurt from knowing her. “You made her leverage.”

     “She’s already leverage.” Oliver shoved his hands deep into his pockets. “Felicity is involved with some stuff that made her get noticed. And that’s not even including who her father is.”

     “Shit!” Sara kicked out at that small wastebasket that lay near her feet. “I like her.”

  
     Oliver nodded. Felicity had a way of charming you without even trying. It might be one of her cute little expressions that might be a little more sexual than she intended. Or, it could be the way she pouted and tilted her head when something perplexed her. Or, it could be the fact that she generally cared about people. “I do, too.”

     Sara reached out and grasped his arm. “Then we’re going to see to it that she’s not hurt.”

     “We can’t guarantee that,” Oliver scoffed. “We can’t even guarantee we’ll walk back through the doors where we live each night. That’s with us knowing how to play the game.”

     Slamming a finger into his chest, Sara’s face raged with a passion that he had not seen in a long time. “If we cannot keep the people we care about safe, what the hell is the point? We’re trained killers, Ollie.” Her nostrils flared and her eyes shuttered. “We kill people. Tell me you wouldn’t do it again if her life, or Thea’s, was threatened.”

     She had a point. He might not be able to keep Felicity from being brought into his world, but he would, sure as hell, keep her from being hurt by it if it was within his power to do so. There was only one problem with that resolve. How the hell would he be able to keep her safe from himself if he was pointed in her direction?

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

      Felicity was sick of ice cream. She was sick of crying. And she was sick of being upset. Which was why she drug out a dress she would not normally wear from her closet and slid it over her head. To complete her outfit, she had to pull out the adorable heels she purchased on a whim that summer. They were meant to raise her spirits and they worked, for a moment, or at least until her credit card bill came in.

      Standing in front of the full-length mirror on the back of her dorm room door, Felicity smoothed out a wrinkle in the satin fabric with her hand. She gulped hard at the image that reflected back at her. A blonde sexy siren had overtaken the glass. Not in any way someone who she would recognize as herself. It was exactly how she needed to look to regain the confidence she needed to search out Oliver.

      Felicity did not need him in her life. She was quite content with the way her life had been going. However, she was not going to back off from something she wanted because she was scared. Lots of things scared her, not that she’d admit it. Felicity refused for her lack of confidence to be the main cause behind this one. Now was her chance to prove that. To go after something she wanted, even if it might not be the best choice.

      She snickered at that. Sometimes making the best choice was not in her repertoire. How else could she explain giving Cooper the code to get into the Treasury to erase the student debts. Or the fact that she decided to run away from it all instead of facing what she had been fully involved in. Then, there was her biggest mistake of all. Getting involved with Oliver Queen to begin with. She never knew that having a taste of what it could be like to be with someone like him could be so addictive.

     Now it was time for her to stop running from her decisions. Tonight would be the night that Felicity Smoak grew a stronger backbone.

     With that resolve, Felicity snatched up her purse, phone and keys from the nearby shelf. Opening the door, she took a deep breath before she headed out to Verdant and an uncertain future. 


	10. Little Flower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity set out to find each other determined that they need to talk, but something, or someone, stands in their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being patient with me. My life is beyond chaotic currently. I will try to update whatever chapters I can on all the stories I can. However, until things settle, updates will also be sporadic. Please continue to be patient with me. 
> 
> I know this chapter isn't exactly what everyone was expecting. I received a lot of comments saying that they could not wait for Felicity and Oliver to meet up. It will happen, soon, I promise.

 

     The second Sara went to wherever she rested her head, Oliver took off too. He should have headed down the stairs that lead to his apartment and called Diggle to find out how things went tonight. He should have pulled out his journal and wrote down his notes about the whole day. Hell, he should have went home to the manor and taken a long, hot shower, kissed his mom and went to bed. He needed to forget how the whole day went so wrong and start fresh. However, he did none of those things. Instead, he went on gut instinct. He went to find Felicity. Oliver needed to talk to her. To apologize and find out if there was any way to fix things. 

     Oliver never felt the need to see someone so much in his whole life. Not even when he was desperate to get back home after his time away. But Felicity was a light he sought like a lifeline. Just the thought of seeing her washed some of the filth he mired through away. To actual see her… To feel her in his arms, in spite of the fight they had earlier in the day and the differences they still had to work through, seemed like some magical unicorn from a story that Thea used to tell when she was a small child. It was like just having her in the same room with him was worth every bit of effort he went through that night. Of course, to see her, he would have to get past her door in the first place. 

     Right about now, he did not care if he had to sit outside her dorm room door until she was forced to come out to use the facilities or eat. They needed to talk and Oliver needed to apologize for his part of the argument. And, frankly, he did not care one bit if he was caught doing it. His relationship, or potential one, with her was more important. 

     It was with that determination that Oliver sped in the direction of the college. A plan of action was sure to come to him on the way. 

 

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

 

     Felicity walked with a purpose toward her car. Her keys jangled in one hand, while her other hand clenched around her phone. She was so tempted to call Oliver to tell him that she was coming over, but she needed the element of surprise on her side to give herself an out. Felicity had never been so brave before and there was no guarantee that she still would not chicken out before she reached the door of his apartment. 

     Everything faded away from around her as she went through every possible scenario what could happen between now and then. And once she got there, there was no guarantee that Oliver would even speak to her. He could slam the door in her face. She could only hope that he would not. 

      It was not until she reached her car, that Felicity began to notice the footsteps behind her. As she unlocked it, a man’s reflection showed up in the glass in front of her. Felicity wanted to scream but one of his gloved hands covered her mouth. In it was a white piece of cloth that had a smell that she could not place. 

     The face of that man would be forever ingrained on her brain as she tried to struggle. The bearded man smiled at her over her shoulder into the reflection before he gave her an almost apologetic shrug. It was like he had been given little choice in the actions he was perpetrating. Like he was the victim in the situation. 

      His words rang in her ear as her world began to fade away. “I’m sorry, malen’kiy tsvetok.”

 

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

 

      Oliver could not seem to find Felicity anywhere. He searched her dorm. He looked over the grounds of the college. And when he phoned Thea, she was not at Verdant. Finally, Oliver decided to backtrack to her dorm and ask questions. It took a while before he found someone who knew anything. The sophomore told him that she saw Felicity leave the dorm dressed up like she was going on a date. That she headed out for the parking lot over forty minutes prior, which was five minutes before he arrived.

      He did not know why he even went there, but his feet led him to the parking lot. And that’s when the dread set in. Her car was still there. Okay, he assured himself, maybe she was picked up for her date. That thought rankled because she should have been out with him instead of some stranger. But then Oliver made his way to her car and his heart stopped stone cold. 

     On the ground, partially under her car, was her phone. And the door to her car was unlocked. Every one of Oliver’s nerve endings went on alert. He felt his hands clench so hard that he drew blood, but it all seemed surreal compared to the fact that Felicity was gone. 

     Picking up her phone, Oliver tried to steady himself, because he felt the need to jump out of his skin. It itched and prickled so much that he wanted nothing more than to rip it all off in order to seek relief. With eyes rolled toward heaven, Oliver pocketed the device and prayed for some sort of guidance in order to find her. What he got instead was a lanky kid.

     “Hey.”

     Oliver swung around and faced the newcomer. The younger man stood there with a backpack slung over one shoulder and his hands buried deep into the front pockets of his pants. Oliver shot the kid an inquiring look which was more of a challenge than any sort of question.

     The guy pulled one of his hands out and extended it toward him. “Professor Queen, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Barry Allen, a friend of Felicity’s.” Barry looked around. “Is Felicity here?”

  
     “No.” Oliver ignored the hand and turned back to lock and close up Felicity’s car. He knew exactly who this kid was. The one that Felicity met up with one time at Verdant. The one she sent the very provocative message to, supposedly in the guise of handing off or getting some notes, it didn’t matter which. Oliver tapped down the small bit of jealousy that churned within him at the thought. Plastering a smile he did not feel on his face, Oliver faced Barry. “I haven’t seen her. Have you?”  
Barry seemed slightly intimidated by Oliver’s question that came out more accusatory than he intended, but Oliver refused to back down. Crossing his arms, Oliver leaned back on Felicity’s car and gave the guy in front of him his sternest professor glare.

      “I… uh… No.” Barry shook his head. “I just happened to see you at her car.” Barry frowned and looked around again before he shot worried eyes Oliver’s way. “Is Felicity okay?”

      “I don’t know.” The honest answer slipped out of Oliver. “I wish I did."

  
      “She was pretty upset after your fight earlier,” Barry admitted. “I can’t even tell you how much ice cream that girl put away…”

  
      “This isn’t about the fight,” Oliver interrupted Barry’s rambling with angry words. His anger was already barely contained. The boy in front of him had no idea how much Oliver needed to hit something. Or someone. Barry Allen was not the place where Oliver wanted to direct his anger, but if the kid kept going on about ice cream and meaningless fights, Oliver was not quite sure that he’d be able to keep it in. Right now, there were places that Oliver needed to be. People he needed to talk to. Barry was not one of them.

      The younger man held up his hands in defense. “Sorry.” Understanding dawned in his brown eyes. “Wait. What’s going on?”

  
      “What does it look like?” Oliver was exasperated. “I found her car unlocked and her phone underneath it, but no Felicity.” Oliver gritted his teeth and tried hard to relax. Barry was her friend and may still be able to help. “I need to talk to her. I can’t find her anywhere and the last person who seemed to see her, said she was coming out this way dressed like she was going to a club or on a date.” Shaking himself to stay calm, Oliver raised his eyes to Barry’s. “Do you have any idea where she may have gone?”

      “Without her phone?” Barry scoffed. “She’s never without that.” Worry lines appeared on his face. “Do you have it?”

      “What?” Oliver gave the boy a perplexed look.

      “Her phone.” Barry shrugged and pulled his backpack from his shoulder. He pulled out a plastic baggie. “I’m studying forensic science. I might be able to find some clues on it, like a fingerprint that shouldn’t be there.”

      Oliver contemplated Barry’s request. For a second, he thought about telling him no. At least if Oliver held onto it, a part of her would be with him. But, then, how many people in his industry did he really trust do what Barry was offering? The list was almost non-existent as far as Felicity was concerned. With a deep breath, Oliver pulled out the phone from his pocket and handed it over, placing it in the baggie Barry held open. “No one knows about this but us.” 

      As Barry closed the bag, Oliver reached out and grabbed a large handful of the kid’s shirt. He pulled Barry up onto his toes, even though Barry was already taller than Oliver. “If I so much as hear that this went any further than the two of us, I’ll kill you.”

      Barry gulped visibly and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

     “Good.” Oliver released his grip. “I’m going to find her.” He was not quite sure if he was promising Felicity’s friend or himself. It did not really matter. His mind was focused on that one goal and he was, sure as there was a hell, would not be deviating from it any time soon.

 

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

 

      Felicity felt groggier than she ever had in her life. Even more than the one time she drank so much she had been hungover. Or the time when she woke up in the hospital after ingesting nuts inside a pot brownie during her freshman year. It was an experimentation with drugs that she would alway remember. 

      Clenching her head, Felicity tried to rise from the couch she laid on. From the little she saw of it when she dared to open her eyes, it was not familiar. She tried to recall what she had done before she got here, but her normally fast-moving brain could not seem to keep up.

      A wave of nausea swept over her and Felicity curled up into a ball. What the frack happened?

      Felicity eased open her eyes slowly. She took in her appearance. Felicity noticed that she was in a dress that she kept hidden deep in her closet, something that she would never wear. There were no shoes or jacket or purse. Wiggling slightly, Felicity confirmed her underwear were still on. There was no bra, but then with this dress it would not be possible to wear one.

      Thinking long and hard, Felicity drew a memory out, a fuzzy one. For some reason she had dressed like this to see Oliver Queen. Why? It was not coming to her. Taking a deep breath, Felicity tried to relax. If she focused, it was bound to come back to her. It did. In pieces. None of which seemed to be in an cognitive order. 

      There was crying and an argument. A conversation with a blonde stranger and Barry bringing her ice cream. A bearded man who spoke Russian and Oliver telling her to get out of his office. Finally, there was the memory of her dressing to go see him. 

       It was the thought of the bearded man that sent chills down her spine. A man who spoke Russian. One who was not Oliver Queen. She did not know anyone else but him, and her classmates, who spoke Russian. So, who was the man?

      What was it he said? She could hear the words but the accent was slightly off from Oliver’s. _Concentrate_ , she reprimanded herself. It was there. Then it hit her, though she was not quite sure her translation was quite right. The first part had been in English. He had apologized. Then it was something like small… no, not small… little… that was it.. _Little flower. I’m sorry, little flower_. Sorry for what? What could she not recall? And why did it feel so important?

      Hearing a door opening behind her, Felicity slipped down to the floor and crawled to peer around the edge of the couch. _The man_. The bearded man she remembered came inside along with a taller man who frankly scared the shit out of her. Something about him just screamed that he was not a good man. 

      The bearded man waved for the guy to stand by the door and he did. The position he took up blocked any sort of escape through the most obvious exit. The man she remembered straightened his sleeves as he approached the couch. Felicity glanced around but there was no where she could go without them seeing her. _Frack_!

      All the memories of what happened washed over her in correct order. This man had drugged her with something on his handkerchief. Probably chloroform, but that could just be the movies talking. By now, there had to be a hundred different chemical mixtures that could be used for the same result. Why had she never listened to Barry during his ramblings? It didn’t matter now, she was already here. Wherever here was.

      “Miss Smoak.”

  
      Felicity glanced up and realized the bearded man stood behind the couch with his arms spread wide across the back as he stared down at her. “Hi.” It was more of a squeak than an actual word. Felicity pushed up from the floor and brushed her hands down her dress. Taking a deep breath, she tried to compose herself before she tried again. “Hi.”

  
      “Dobroye utro.”

      Felicity frowned as she translated it into ‘good morning’. It was morning. She had been here all night. Felicity had never told anyone that she was heading out to find Oliver. No one would be looking for her. _Frack_! Her friends knew her enough that if she did not answer her door for a few days that she was probably working on a project and would not want to be disturbed. It would be days from now before anyone worried. Except for maybe her professors when she did not show up for classes.

      “Please.” The man waved back toward the couch, indicating she should take a seat. Felicity sat down and curled her legs under her. It was not like she could run, the man at the door scared her even more than the one in front of her. 

      The older man circled around the couch and took a seat on the chair next to it. There was only the two pieces of furniture and a small coffee table in the area where they were. Other than that, Felicity only noticed a tiny cafe-style table with two chairs close to the door. For the amount of space that the place had, it seemed sparcely furnished. 

      “Who are you?” Felicity asked him. “What do you want with me?”

      The man let out a deep, rich chuckle and swiped a hand down his beard. “I’m Pakhan.”

      Felicity frowned. “That’s a strange name.”

  
      He laughed harder and pointed at her. “I like you. You can be funny, Miss Smoak. Pakhan is a title.”

       “Okay. What’s a Pakhan?”

       “Leader,” he explained with his thick accent. His face turned serious. “Of Bratva.”

_Bratva_? Wasn’t that the Russian mob? _Frack, frackity frack_! “What does the Bratva want with me?”

       “I want your father dead,” the man said with a grave voice. He shrugged his head to one side. “But we don’t always get what what we want.”

       The pieces began to tie together in her mind. This man. The Bratva. Her father. It was all in Oliver’s journal. _Frack_! She was in so much trouble. These people could kill her without batting an eyelash. Had Oliver told them that she read what he did to get her out of the picture? Was he that mad? He seemed more like a man of action. One that would take care of his own battles, but had he decided he did not want to dirty his hands with her? 

       “Instead,” the Pakhan continued, breaking through her thoughts, “I think you can help me.”

       “Help you how?” Felicity glanced back to her outfit and swallowed hard. The Bratva was rumored to deal with the sex trade. Did they want to…  Felicity could not finish that question.

       “Not yet, malen’kiy tsvetok.” The Pakhan smiled at her before snapping his fingers. The man at the door opened it and a young woman came in pushing a silver cart with food smells wafting from it. Pakhan waved her forward . When she was close enough, he motioned for her to stop and said something so quickly in Russian that there was no way that Felicity could translate. 

       The woman hurried back out of the room and the scary looking guy by the door closed it behind her. Though if Felicity was not mistaken, his eyes softened slightly as he glanced down at the young brunettle. When the lock clicked, Felicity felt her skin tighten around her and a chill ran down her spine.

      “Eat,” the Pakhan told her as he rose. “We will talk later.” He gestured to the man by the door. “Viktor will bring you fresh clothes in about an hour. Then, later, we will share lunch and discuss your future.”

      That was encouraging at least, Felicity thought to herself. At least at this point she had one.

 

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

 

      “You’ll find her,” Diggle told Oliver for about the hundredth time as Oliver paced his apartment under Verdant.

      “Will I?” Oliver turned and glared in Diggle’s direction. “I don’t have any idea who has her. It could be any number of people or organizations.”

      “Lyla's searched A.R.G.U.S. She’s pretty sure that Waller doesn’t have any thing to do with this.”

      Diggle’s words should have relieved Oliver, but it didn’t. If A.R.G.U.S. had her, he might have had a chance to get her out. It was all the unknown variables that scared him. 

      “We’ll find her, Ollie,” Sara told him as she approached on almost silent feet to lay a hand on his shoulder. 

      “You warned me,” Oliver ground out. He stepped away from her hand and reached out to grasp the back of the couch. Hanging his head, he tried hard to convince himself this was not his fault, as Diggle had told him so many times in the past fourteen hours. 

      A knock sounded on the door that led out to Verdant and it rang through the space like a death knell. Three pairs of eyes went to the heavy panel. 

      Oliver expected it to be Thea. Well, not expected her specifically, but who else could it have possibly been at that time of day? Which is why it surprised him when Barry Allen pushed open the door and inspected the space.

     “Who’s that?” Sara whispered before slinking into the shadows of the room. She was most likely going to make her escape from the apartment to make sure that the newcomer did not see her. 

     “Mr. Allen,” Oliver called out. “What are you doing here?”

  
     Barry came down the stairs and Oliver noticed a manila folder his hand. The kid approached and held it out to him. “I found a fingerprint. A partial one. It took me all night to try to recreate it.”

     “Great,” Oliver said and began to hand the folder off to Diggle who would see that Lyla got it and find the perpetrator.

      Instead, Barry stopped him before Diggle could come over and take it. “No. I found out who it matched. My adoptive father…”

      “Barry…” Oliver growled at him.

      “It’s fine,” Barry assured him as he held up his hands in defense. “He didn’t know what it was about.” 

      Oliver glared at him, but there wasn’t much he could do at this point. “What did he find?”

      “Well, my adoptive father is a cop. First thing this morning I had him search the FBI data base for the person who the fingerprint matched.” Barry tapped the folder. “He found the match. And let me tell you, he had a lot of questions. None of which I could answer anyway.”

      Oliver flipped open the file. The face that stared back at him was all too familiar. No matter how close the two men were, Oliver felt a primal urge to destroy him. 

      Raising his eyes over to Diggle, who patiently waited out the exchange, Oliver Queen disappeared and the killer that resided inside came out. “I’m going to kill him.”


	11. Rock and a Hard Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver has discovered who took Felicity. He will not let anyone get in his way of getting her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry updates are so sporadic. I have been getting writing done, here and there, but not consistently, and typing is pretty much non-existent. Enjoy and hopefully soon, I will have a new chapter to share.

**Rock and a Hard Place**

 

 

     “Who are you planning to kill, Mr. Queen?”

     Oliver’s teeth grated together as he turned toward the ground-level entrance of his apartment and found Amanda Waller closing the door as if she owned the place. “Get out.”

     She did not even bother to look affronted by his gruff demand. Instead she continued walking toward their group, her eyes taking measure of the situation. When she reached Barry Allen’s side, her gaze swept over him, analyzing him. “You keep interesting friends lately.”

  
     “He’s not my friend. And neither are you.”

  
     Diggle approached and Oliver could tell he was ready to bodily remove their boss at the first hint that Oliver wanted it. Oliver held out his hand to stop him. That made Waller smile, not that he cared. Oliver was ready to get rid of the nuisance of her presence himself. There was no need for Diggle to add pressure to his own familial situation by angering Waller. 

     “That’s fine,” Waller finally said. “I’ve only come to retrieve the laptop.”

     “One of your lackeys couldn’t handle it for you?” Oliver crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. He knew there had to be more to her visit. Waller never did anything without a specific purpose. And right now, Oliver did not have the time, nor could put out the effort, to deal with her bullshit.

     “The laptop.” Waller held out her hand. It was not a request. 

     Oliver nodded toward Diggle. The older man headed for Oliver’s office where it was stashed in his Faraday cage. Unbenownst to Waller, Oliver had already seen to it that Kuttler copied all the information from the laptop for his own knowledge. It might be leverage at some point and any upper hand one could gain on Waller was golden.

     Glancing toward Barry, who seemed stunned by the overwhelming presence that Waller projected, Oliver tapped him with the folder. “Thank you for this. I’ll keep you updated.”

     “You’re going to find her?” Barry asked, worry lined his face that still kept Waller in his sights. 

     “Yes.” Oliver turned Barry and guided him back toward the stairs that led up to the club. “Never doubt that.”

     “Thank you.”

     “You don’t have to thank me. Not for this.” In fact, if it was not for Barry, Oliver still would be clueless as to where to search. But now that he knew, there was nothing going to stop Oliver from getting her back. Not even Waller.

     “Good job,” Waller said to Diggle as Oliver returned. She was inspecting the contents of the laptop. “I have another assignment for the both of you.”

  
     “No.” Oliver’s voice came out harsh. He was not about to censure himself in front of Waller who was standing in his way of leaving and finding Felicity. “I have my own mission.”

     “Care to elaborate.” Her brown eyes cut through his as she straightened from where she stood looking over the computer. 

     “Sure.” Oliver resumed his earlier posture and crossed his arms. He met her cold stare with one of his own. “Go to hell.”

     “I told you, I’ve already been there.”

     “Then go back, for all I care,” Oliver spit out at her. “Right now, you need to get the hell out of my apartment before I put you out permanently.”

     “Gutsy,” she said with a smile. Oliver could tell that he had impressed her, not that he gave a damn.

     “I’m serious, Amanda. Get the fuck out of here before I can no longer hold myself back from breaking your neck once and for all.”

     “You’re going to regret this,” she told him with a curl of her lips. Her words were almost growled at him, showing much more emotion than she cared to display. She did not scare him half as much as the thought of what Anatoly could be doing to Felicity. 

     “I wish I could say I cared.” Oliver pointed at the door through which she came. “Now, I’m going to repeat myself. Get the fuck out.”

  
     “Language like that doesn’t become you, Mr. Queen.” She stopped so that there was a slight dramatic pause, her lips thinning.  Waller was known for drama, even if she did not always display it. “Unless you’re under the sheets.”

     “A place I have no intention of being again. Not for you.”

     Waller’s lip curled up as she walked away. “I hope Felicity Smoak is worth all of this.”

  
     Oliver stormed over to her, grabbing her arm, and swung her around. “What do you know about Felicity?”

     “That you’re sleeping with her for one.”

     Diggle scoffed behind them, because everyone in the room was aware that Waller knew so much more than that.

     Grasping both her arms, Oliver realized just how delicate they were. He could easily snap them under his fingers, but he shook her instead. “What do you know?”

     “That your girlfriend is missing.”

  
     “And?” Oliver glared down at her. If she had something to do with all of this she was not going to leave this apartment alive. 

     “And that your friend Knysev has her, but I”m sure that the file you dropped on the floor over there already told you that.”

     Oliver looked behind him toward where Waller indicated. He could honestly not remember dropping the file. However, there it lay on the floor, Anatoly’s picture peeking out from around its edges. His eyes returned to Waller. He could not believe he was actually going to ask this. “What was my next mission?”

  
     Waller jerked out of his hands showing a strength that her body hid well. “I thought you told me and a I quote _to get the fuck out_.”

     “Tell me!”

     “Rescue Felicity Smoak and bring her into A.R.G.U.S. for a debriefing.”

  
     “I plan on doing the first part of that already,” Oliver assured her. 

     “Of that I have no doubt, but your mission is not complete until you follow through with the entirety of your assignment.”

     “Too damn bad,” Oliver growled at her. “I’m not bringing her into this.”

     “She’s already involved,” Waller told him flatly.

     “Then I’ll get her out.”

     “It might be too late for both of you,” Waller said with a small shrug of her shoulders. “Cayden James already targeted her. He’s willing to pay anyone top dollar to see that he gets his hands on her.”

     “Who’s Cayden James?” Diggle asked as he finally approached the two of them. 

     “He runs Helix,” Waller supplied. “A.R.G.U.S. had him twice now, but he’s managed to escape.” She straighten her suit jacket and avoided both men’s eyes. “With Miss Smoak’s help, I can finally cross his name off the board.”

     “I won’t let her help you kill him,” Oliver told her.

     “It’s no longer your decision to make.”

     Oliver did not want to think about the fact that the statement might be true. The second Anatoly kidnapped Felicity, her pawn was already on the playing board. The only way for a pawn to leave at that point was to be eliminated. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”

     “You are under the assumption that she still wants anything to do with you.” Waller’s voice sounded smug and Oliver wanted to hit her because he hated to admit that her words may be true.

     “Sara…” Oliver trailed off pissed that he almost revealed that Sara was alive to Waller. “Serendipity brought her into my life. I’m not about to take that lightly."

  
     “I would say she’s one of the lucky ones if I didn’t already know all the trouble she’s in,” Waller told him with an honesty he never expected to hear from her. “Good luck, Mr. Queen. Both of you are going to need it.”

     With those parting words, Waller finally took her leave. Behind her she left a large amount of tension between the two friends who remained.

     “You’re playing a dangerous game, man,” Diggle said breaking the silence.

     Oliver met his friend’s eyes. “We play a dangerous game every day. Today is no different.”

     “Pissing off Waller is not in anyone’s best interest,” Diggle reminded him.

     “I don’t care.” Oliver tried to channel his rage into something else and went over to the pummeling dummy to start training. Diggle followed him. In between hits, Oliver spoke. “Anatoly could be doing who knows what to Felicity by now.”

  
     “He wouldn’t dare. He’s well aware you have a vested interest in her welfare.” Diggle reached over and grabbed a towel to throw it toward Oliver. 

     He caught it in one hand without thought and wiped down his face. Oliver’s chest heaved as he tried to regain some balance. “He would.” Oliver turned and went in the direction of his weapons. “I still don’t know what he wanted with Kuttler, but he wanted him tortured and maybe dead.” Oliver flipped around to face Digg. “He won’t hesitate to use Felicity to see that it gets done.”

     “At the risk of losing you forever?” 

     “Even then.” Oliver felt his chest constrict as his own words. Anatoly was capable of so much pain now that he was Pakhan. He had proved that more than once. Anatoly was no longer the man that Oliver had once known. The one who Oliver had been so close to that he had looked up to him as a mentor and a friend. A father-figure, of sorts.

     It was disconcerting to know the the woman that had slowly crept her way under Oliver’s crusty exterior had fallen into the hands of a madman. One that Oliver was unsure that even he could stop.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

      Felicity was so over being kidnapped and she had only been awake for five hours. When Anatoly, he finally told her his name during their shared lunch, and his goons were there at least then she had something to do. Like scream at them, even if they ignored her. But when she was stuck alone in this apartment, there was nothing to do and no way to escape. She had tried and failed miserably. The skills she might have seen on television, and in the movies, not even coming close to doing the job to get her out of the room. 

     What she would not do for her phone right now. Even if they stole internet and phone lines from it, at least she could play the few games she had downloaded on it. Something, anything, to take away from the fact that she was alone and no one was looking for her. 

     Not like that was anything new. Her mom had always been working when Felicity was younger, trying to pick up whatever extra hours she could since they had not heard from her father since she was seven. And that pretty much summed up her father. He liked to abandon people, no matter how much a person might need him. Her friends were pretty good, at least the ones she had now. Much more stable than the ones she had when she was dating Cooper or even the ones from high school, what little of them there were since she had been half a decade younger than most of them. Finally, there was Oliver.

     Oliver Queen was an enigma at best. One that even her logical mind could not seem to solve. It was doubtful that he even had any clue that she was missing, let alone that a group that he worked for had her. 

     Felicity frowned. Unless, he did know and he was a part of all of this. Maybe he had told Anatoly where to find her. That thought creeped her out beyond measure, especially now that she knew Anatoly wanted her locked away behind a computer to steal information from some organization that she accidentally hacked. The one with the acronym that Oliver asked her about. How convenient.

     Logical thinking placed one incident with the other. Felicity slowly felt her anger boil up. Figures. Only she would fall into a mess like this. God, she was gullible. Of course, the handsome professor was not interested in her. It was so dumb of her to fall for it all. For a smart girl, her naiveté got her into trouble on so many occasions.

     Felicity let out a snort sort of laugh as she continued to pace the room. A room that she already measured countless times over for the lack of anything else to do. She was in a completely hopeless situation. And it figured a guy got her here. Had they not been disappointing her her entire life? It only made sense that she would fall into a trap that the guys in her life laid out for her. And when things got rough, they were the last people she could ever count on.

     Abandonment and trust issues? She had those in spades. Her picture was probably in some psychiatric dictionary near both.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

     “Where the hell is she?” Oliver roared. He entered into the Bratva head quarters that was set up inside Star City. The one that Oliver had arranged for them to have since their previous space had grown too small for the operations that they ran. The door slammed against the wall behind him. He ignored it. Oliver did not care if the damn thing fell off its hinges. 

     One of Anatoly’s protective goons came up to him pointing a gun in his direction. The look on Oliver’s face must have put the man on alert because he reached behind him for a second weapon. 

     “Get those out of my face or get put down,” Oliver told the man. 

     The last thing the man was ever going to remember was cocking his weapon. Oliver reached out and swirled the man around him in a smooth move that he had learned at the hands of some of the best assassins in the world. Locking his arm around the man’s neck, Oliver snapped it. He had warned him. Oliver was not in the mood to play games.

     “Kapuchian.” Viktor walked over and glared at him in his normal manner. The two of them never really got along. To say they tolerated each other still might push the description of their relationship.

     “Where is she, Viktor? Anatoly doesn’t do anything that you don’t know about,” Oliver said in fluent Russian to the other man.

     Viktor shrugged. “I’m unsure for whom you speak. We deal in a lot of women.”

  
     Oliver let the dead body slide out of his arms and he walked over to the taller man. Normally, Oliver would side-step a confrontation with Viktor, but not today. Not with Felicity’s life on the line.

     Grasping the front of Viktor’s dress shirt, Oliver yanked the man closer. “I can make you wish you were dead, but I’d rather see what you’d look like if I start on your little whore. So, you can either get me Felicity or Anatoly.” When Viktor made no motion to go, Oliver’s eyes narrowed. “Kseniya!”

     “Fine,” Viktor growled. “I’ll get the Pakhan. Leave her alone.”

     A small brunette woman came into the room at a run. “Yes?”

     Viktor pulled out of Oliver’s grip and went over to her, keeping an eye on Oliver the entire way. The man would not want to look weak in front of a woman, let alone this woman. Viktor leaned down to the small woman, who had to be decades younger than him, and rattled off endearments before asking her to go. 

     “No,” Oliver told him. “She stays with me until Anatoly gets here.”

     Viktor swallowed hard but nodded. He whispered something into her ear and the woman shuddered the second Viktor’s back was turned. She did not appear to like the man any more than Oliver did.

     Going over to her,  Oliver noticed she began to back away from him. “I’m not going to hurt you,” Oliver told her in a gentle voice, still using Russian since he was unsure if the woman spoke any English. He held up his hands to show he meant her no harm. “I’m here looking for someone.”

     “There many someone’s here,” she responded quietly in broken English.

     “It’s a specific woman,” Oliver said, happy that she at least spoke some English. It boded well that she might have information on Felicity. “She’s a blonde, a little taller than you. Maybe a year or two older and definitely not Russian.”

     He saw Kseniya’s brown eyes light up. “I know. I know.”

     “You do? Where is she?” Oliver had to hold himself in check so he would not scare her by grabbing the already scared woman’s shoulders.

     “Locked in room. Viktor have key,” she told him with a shake of her head that came across as hopelessly sad. “I feed her and give her some clothes.”

     “Can you take me to her?”

     “No, she cannot, Kapuschian,” Anatoly answered before the woman could even open her mouth.

     Oliver looked up to see Anatoly approach. The older man waved the girl away and she ran from the room as if the devil was at her heels. Frustration seeped through Oliver. He had been so close. “Anatoly, you bastard.”

     “Is that any way to talk to your Pakhan?” Anatoly straightened his suit as he reached Oliver. The title of Pakhan suited him. Especially now that this cruel side of him kicked in. Anatoly’s meaner side had nothing on Oliver’s, because Oliver had learned to be calm and composed when he was at his most inhumane. Waller had taught him that. And he learned his lessons well.

     “That’s the way I’ll talk to the man who betrayed me.”

     Anatoly only shrugged as if Oliver had not laid down a threat. As if his words were no more than an annoying fly that could be squashed. “You betrayed me first by not killing Kuttler as I asked.”

     “I might have, but you stopped me.” This time it was Oliver who shrugged in an effort to show that the conversation was not as heated as it was. “Guess we’ll never know.”

     “We both know you never planned such a thing, Oliver.” Anatoly chuckled as he took a seat in a nearby chair. He indicated another chair for Oliver to sit in that sat across from his own. 

     “I don’t have time to chat,” Oliver told him kicking at the offered chair. “I need Felicity. Now.”

  
     “Sit,” Anatoly demanded in a quiet, steady voice. “She’s not going anywhere, but that could change quickly. Viktor is not happy that you threatened his girl.”

  
     Oliver snorted but took a seat. His butt barely rested on the edge of it. He was ready to attack if he needed to. The first person on his list to kill was the man he once called friend, and who now sat across from him, if Felicity was not returned safely. “I don’t give a damn as to what pisses off Viktor.”  
Though actually he did if the girl’s Intel was correct. Viktor not only knew where Felicity was, but he held the key to where she was being held. Oliver should have maimed the bastard when he had his hands on him.

     “This girl. She means that much to you?”

  
     Oliver met Anatoly’s eyes head on. “Yes."

  
     “Interesting.” Anatoly seemed to contemplate that. “I believe your Miss Smoak’s value just increased. I smell bidding war.”

     Oliver surged from his seat. “You son of a bitch.”

     Anatoly only sat there rubbing his beard unperturbed by Oliver’s reaction. “Exactly what are you willing to do for her return? Maybe retrieve a certain laptop you took from Miss Rochev?” Anatoly smiled at Oliver’s slight bit of shock. “Yes, my friend, I know exactly what you were doing last night.”

  
     Rising to his feet, Anatoly took a step so that he was toe to toe with Oliver. He smiled up at him. “In fact, as you see, I took precautions to assure that the information came back into my possession. So, being the smart man I know you to be, I’m sure you made copy of this. Return to me the list of A.R.G.U.S. operatives from Russia.”

  
     Oliver felt his teeth grind. He was in between a rock and a hard place. Oliver did not wish to put Diggle and his family in jeopardy, but there was Felicity’s safety to think about.

     “I know what you’re thinking, man,” Diggle finally spoke up inside Oliver’s ear. “Don’t do it.”

     “I’ll get it for you,” Oliver told Anatoly unmindful of Diggle’s words. He needed to make sure Felicity was safe. Oliver had promised himself too many times that he would do it. Diggle groaned and Oliver dismissed it. “When and where?”

     “Tomorrow morning. Here. I text you details.”

     “Fine. Tomorrow then.”


	12. Getting In Your Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver has made a plan to get Felicity back and it better work because it is the last plan he can come up with. Felicity is sick and tired of captivity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys. I know I should stop apologizing but I can't help it. This chapter was lost on a drive a had when my kids knocked my computer down and shattered by flash drive. And for the life of me I lost my hard written copy. So, I had to go back and rewrite it. Maybe it is a good thing. From that one chapter I now have two. The second still needs to be typed but I have it. So, as of now, I know that you have at least three more chapters coming to you as soon as I can find the time to get them typed up. 
> 
> This chapter is unbeta'd and all the mistakes are completely my own.

**Getting In Your Head**

            “You can stop looking at me like that,” Oliver told Diggle never once glancing over at his friend. That would mean distracting himself from his thoughts and the outside scenery that he barely noticed since he stepped inside the car.

            “I can’t believe you gave into him,” Diggle mumbled referring to Anatoly and his demand that Oliver turn over the laptop, or at least the list of operatives.

            “He has Felicity, Digg. I didn’t have much of a choice.” Oliver hated how defeated his voice sounded.

            “So, what is your plan?”

            Oliver finally did look up and stared at the back of his friend’s head from where he sat driving the car. “You’re not going to yell at me for putting your family in danger by agreeing to give Anatoly the list?”

            Diggle chuffed. “My wife and I both work for A.R.G.U.S. If we can’t keep our kids safe, we are in the wrong business. The last thing I was worried about was my safety, or those of my kids. You wouldn’t do that, not if you didn’t have to.” Diggle met Oliver’s eyes through the rear view mirror. “You know Anatoly won’t just give Felicity over. Not without the information. And even then…”

            The fact that Diggle let his sentence trail off brought goosebumps to Oliver’s arms. He had not felt scared in years. Right this moment? He was petrified. One wrong move and Felicity might never get back home.

            “I have a plan,” Oliver finally announced, glad at least something finally came to him. The silence that had fallen between him and Diggle had become disconcerting.

            “What do I need to do?” Diggle asked without pause.

            “We’re going to need to bring everyone in to make this work.”

            “Who’s everyone?” Diggle sounded skeptical. Not that Oliver blamed him. Once Diggle was completely informed, he was not going to like that he asked the question in the first place.

            Oliver let a smile spread across his lips. “I’m not sure you want to know.”

            Diggle’s groan was exactly what Oliver expected as it filled the car. “Damn it, Oliver. This could be worse than Felicity being held by Anatoly.”

            “But, the people most invested in Felicity’s safety and security are her friends and family.”

            Shaking his head, Diggle slammed the breaks as they reached the club. “Shit!”

            “Maybe. But we have to.” Oliver wasn’t really sure if that was the case, but it was the only chance he had to get Felicity out.

            “The whole reason the two of you fought was because of her father and now you are going to bring him back in on this? I think you are treading in more turbulent waters than the ones we are already in.”

            Oliver could not agree more. But if anyone could clone a laptop to make it look like the real thing, it was Noah Kuttler.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

           

            Oliver was damn sick of waiting. He had wanted to actually go into the college today and teach just to distract himself, but Thea talked him out of it. Instead, she had called and told them that they had a family emergency that Oliver had to attend and would be out for the next week. Oliver knew he should be grateful considering Felicity was his number one priority, but he hated waiting.

            Right now, he was waiting for Noah Kuttler to configure a new laptop, similar to the one that Rochev had, to download the new list of names that they came up with. Oliver had already done the Salmon Ladder, fought a skirmish with Diggle, and Roy, and now he was pacing through his living room, with no end in sight. He needed something to do. Someone to hit. Anything, to take his mind off what could be happening to Felicity while he waited.

            “Here.” A glass was shoved under his nose by Lyla. “You look like you could use it.”

            Oliver accepted the drink with a slight nod. He didn’t even sniff it to discover what it was before he threw it back. The whiskey burned his throat and it still wasn’t enough to distract him. Shoving the glass down on his coffee table, Oliver continued his endless pursuit of nothing as he passed the couch for what had to be the hundredth time. Turning back toward where Lyla stood, Oliver nodded in the direction of his office where Kuttler was working. “Shouldn’t you be in there telling him the names he needs?”

            Lyla only shrugged, and for a moment, it really bugged Oliver how nonchalant she was about what was going on. A life was on the line. Felicity’s life. Lyla lifted her own glass to her lips taking a small sip of her own drink before she answered. “He has the list I gave him. There’s not much more for me to do.”

            “Is he almost done?” Frustration laced Oliver’s question. He felt like a child on a long journey constantly repeating, “Are we there yet?”

            Lyla shot him a serious look that made her whole face go downwards into a frown. It had to be her mother’s face. The one that she would use when scolding her own children. “He’s not much further than he was a few minutes ago when you popped your head in to ask.”

            _Was it only a few minutes ago?_ It felt like so long ago. Kicking out at his couch, Oliver didn’t even feel the pain as it skittered away from him. He wanted to smash something. Too bad he still wasn’t holding his glass.

            “Hey.” Lyla set her glass down and approached him, laying her hand on his arm in a strong grip. “We’ll get her back.”

            “Will we?” Oliver hated to ask because he was afraid of the answer he would get in response. If he had not brought Felicity into his life… If he had just done what Anatoly asked of him regarding Kuttler instead of thinking of how it would affect Felicity… If he had not come back to Starling City at all… If he never took the job at the college to come back in and pretend that he was some normal person instead of the monster that he was… All those scenarios and more pounded through his head.

            “You’re blaming yourself again.”

            Oliver blinked rapidly coming back into his body. How long had he been in his own thoughts? He was standing in front of the training dummy pounding away until Diggle’s words infiltrated his head. Lyla was gone. Oliver stood there shirtless, never even knowing when it happened, banging on the dummy that was half broken at his efforts.

            Swinging around, Oliver grabbed the towel that Diggle extended out to him and wiped his face before wrapping it around his shoulders and crossing his arms. “So what if I am?”

            “Not everything is your fault,” Diggle continued. “Anatoly made the ultimate decision to bring Felicity into this situation. At the cost of your friendship.”

            “And if he didn’t, it may be Waller that we are planning to take her from.”

            Diggle gave a small chuckle. “That sounds easier, but damn, it sure as hell would be a nightmare of a situation.”

            Oliver frowned and Diggle let his humor fade. “Look. Whatever Waller has planned, we will figure it out before it happens. But whatever does, it still won’t be your fault. Waller has had her own plans for that girl long before you came into the picture. The fact that you decided to pursue something with her only allowed Waller to think that she would have that much more access to her.”

            “Great.” Oliver swung the towel in the direction of the nearby table and grabbed a hold of his sweatshirt to pull on over his now chilled body.

            Diggle walked over and placed his hands on Oliver’s shoulder and leveled a look at him. “Don’t let them get in your head.”

            “Too late.”  


OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “You. Out.”

            Felicity glanced over at the door where a bald angry man stood cradling a semi-automatic weapon. At least that was what she thought it was after her long perusal of weapons that presented themselves to her during her short stay in captivity. In the end, it didn’t really matter. It only matter that it could kill her.

            A young woman that Felicity recognized came inside the room after the guy. She was the same woman who had given Felicity the clothes that she was currently wearing. It was nice to see a familiar face that was not Anatoly’s or one of his goons. “Hi.”

            The guard glared. “You. Out.”

            Felicity tried to ignore him as much as possible in a small bit of defiance. Sure, eventually, she’d listen to him. It wasn’t like she would have much of a choice. Instead she watched the woman as she scurried around cleaning up the small mess Felicity left behind from her breakfast. Felicity nodded at her in greeting when the woman looked up for a second, but the timid woman let her eyes fall back to what she was doing too quickly for any other exchange.

            Glancing over at the guard, she dared ask, “Can I at least get my shoes and dress?”

            The man seemed disgruntled by her question, maybe he didn’t understand it, but then he gave her a small nod. Pleased at the small concession, even if that did worry her, because that meant that she was leaving this room for a lot longer than a quick walk around that she deservingly needed.

            Cursing softly, Felicity made her way to the bathroom where her clothes lay, dry now from their quick wash the night before. The woman accidently got in her way, or maybe not so accidently, by the fact that she gestured at Felicity. It didn’t make any sense.

            “Help,” Felicity said to her. “Can you help me?”

            “Da.” _Yes._ She held up two fingers again, this time a little more decipherable.

_Two?_ Felicity had no idea what that meant? Two minutes? Two hours? Was it some sort of Russian thumbs up? Felicity had no idea. Frankly, she wasn’t in the caring mood. The woman at least agreed to help. And Felicity was sure as hell ready to get the hell out of here.

            By the time Felicity returned with her things though, the woman was gone. So much for helping then. Maybe she just didn’t understand what Felicity had been asking her. Unless, the woman was thinking that somehow Felicity would help her instead of the other way around. Well, that wouldn’t be happening since Felicity had not seen the outside of this room in days, let alone knew where she was.

            “Go,” the man at the door demanded in his harsh voice that was a little higher than a man of his stature should have. He gestured at the door where he stood indicating that she needed to leave the room.

            “Go,” he said again, this time more growly since she had not moved a muscle from her spot. He pointed the gun toward her and his finger was much too jumpy for her liking as it lay near the trigger.

            Taking a deep breath, Felicity complied with his demand and began to more toward the door. The first time that she would be able to do so since being brought in there unconscious days ago. The gun was jammed in her back and she quickly exited the room, clenching her dress and shoes tightly to her chest. “Where am I going?”

            “Go.” His gun pointed her to the right over her shoulder.

_Right it was then._

            “Go.”

            “Oookay.” Felicity couldn’t help the snarky comment. She tried to take notice of the hallway as she walked forward but it was all white with nothing decorating the walls at all. Completely whitewashed. Just like the room she just left. Well, not counting the small holes that she went to examine in her time there, that she discovered were actually bullet holes.

            Felicity shuddered at the memory of discovering the blood in one of the holes that had not been covered by the white paint and cleaned by the bleach that resonated from the crevice. She made a mental note, that no matter how bored she was she would never go to investigate any other holes in the mobsters’ walls. Her stomach could not handle it.

           The few doors they passed were simple dark wooden panels, not that there were many. Just three. Two on the right and one on the left. Right. Right. Left. Sure it might not make a difference to remember that, but she was so bored that any sort of mental stimulation was a relief.

           Coming to the end of the corridor, they made another right. Felicity blinked at the large amount of sunlight that poured down at them from the high windows. Ones that only afforded her a look at the blue sky that she was not sure she would see again. The door at the end of the hallway also offered up sunlight. However, it was muted with the glazed windows that it possessed. No way to see what was through it. At least not from where she was. And not like she expected to get close enough to see if proximity would help.

           She was wrong though. The guy gestured her forward again with his gun. “Go.”

           Felicity glanced back over her shoulder, surprised to find that the man really wasn’t much taller than she was. Funny because in the room with the gun he seemed so much bigger. Maybe because she had been that much more intimidated. She wasn’t quite sure why she wasn’t now. “You know, you’re a wonderful conversationalist. We should definitely try to visit again.”

           Her sarcasm was lost on him. Well, maybe not considering how his eyes shadowed as his thick eyebrows lowered and his face became even more surely. With a gulp, Felicity reminded herself the man had a weapon and she probably should not be trying to piss him off. Not that she really was trying to, but her mouth sometimes got away from her when she was scared or nervous. Right now, she’d own up to both.

           Not that it stopped her words from coming out. “Your wife, or girlfriend, must be the talkative one. Well, unless you talk a lot more in your native language. Russian, right? For all I know you could be a big chatter when you sit down with your buddies and a bottle of vodka.”

_Shut up, Felicity_ , she scolded herself. Not that it helped. “You know, you can. Speak Russian with me. I would just love to talk to someone even if it is at cross purposes since you might have no idea what I’m even saying. And I definitely wouldn’t understand what you were saying in return.”

          “Go!” The gun dug deeper into her backbone and Felicity took a deep breath. Maybe if she kept doing so, the words would stop coming out.

          “Do I need to open the door?” she asked him as they reached the end of the hall and the door that let in the light.

          “Go.”

          “I’ll take that as a yes.” Felicity reached out and turned the knob surprised that it was actually unlocked. Maybe all the doors were unlocked, but she doubted it. Hers, for example, had been locked. She was pretty sure there were a lot of skeletons behind the other doors. Not skeletons exactly, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t. Her body shuddered at all the possibilities.

          Exiting the door, Felicity paused and soaked in the warmth of the sun. It felt so good on her skin. She would never hide away in her room on her computers again, taking the sun for granted. Not after this. This was why prisoners had mandatory time outside. The sudden vitamin D from the sun made her head feel a little dizzy.

          “Go!”

          “Spoilsport,” Felicity mumbled and winced when her bare feet hit a small rock on the stairs that lead down from the door. It was nothing compared to heated pavement that met her at the bottom. Her feet burned and the rocks bit into her feet that had never been so tortured in all her years of living. “You could have at least let me put on my shoes if you knew we were coming outside.”

          “Go.” Guess, he didn’t care if she wouldn’t be able to walk soon. Already she was limping at the pain that impaled her feet at all the small stones that bit into her.

          Felicity rolled her eyes around in her head, but kept going. It wasn’t like she had much choice with the constant presence of the gun in her lower back. “A coat would have also been a sweet gesture. The wind is a little cold.”

          The man only snorted. What the hell did he care? He was dressed appropriately for the weather with his long sleeved shirt and vest. His jeans probably not letting the changing of the weather bother him as much.

          The reached another building and Felicity hoped they were soon to reach their destination seeing as she wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to walk. The man who had come with Anatoly a few times stood by one doorway and Felicity just knew that that was where they were heading. It was with dread that she closed her eyes momentarily and proceeded forward.

          They slowly came to where he waited and when they got there, the man reached out and grasped Felicity roughly by the jaw with only one large palm. The pain was almost worse than the ones that she was experiencing with her feet. She expected that she would have bruises on her chin in an hour. Felicity could only hope that was the worst of her problems.

          “I hope he doesn’t follow through,” the man growled down at her from where he towered over her. “I would have broken you already if Anatoly would have let me.”

          That did not sound pleasing in the slightest. Felicity shored up all her strength and pulled out of his grip. It hurt so bad that she wondered if she lost some skin in the effort. That didn’t stop her from glaring up at him. Felicity wondered where her sudden bravado came from.

          The guy only let out a chuckle as if it meant nothing to him. Instead he grasped her arm, twisting the skin slightly. “I think it won’t be much time before Anatoly let’s me.”

          He jerked her inside the new building and over to a room that was close by. It had a much heavier, more cell-like door than the one previously. The man with the gun ran over to open it. Once it was opened, the guy who held her practically threw her inside. She skittered across the floor in a heap. So, more bruises then.

          “Soon, cyka.”

          Felicity had no idea what the translation for that last word was, but she knew it could not be good by the way he spit it at her. Looking around the room, she discovered it to be smaller and sparser than the last one she stayed in. Not that it mattered much. She suspected that this was very temporary.

         The door clanged shut. The sound reverberated throughout the room. Yep, much more cell-like.

         Pushing herself up off the floor, Felicity searched around for a light switch and found one by the door. The light flickered on and then continued to flicker as if trying to determine whether it wanted to work or not. But it held persistent and finally shone brightly above her.

         On the off chance that the men had forgotten to lock the door Felicity made her way to it. Only there was no knob to turn. Nothing to try. If she pried her very short fingernails into the sides, she might find some purchase, but she truly doubted it.

         “Frack,” Felicity screamed at the door pounding her flat hand against it.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “Oliver. Mr. Queen.”

            Noah’s voice penetrated through Oliver’s dark thoughts. That’s what happened whenever anyone left him alone long enough for his mind to wander. A prisoner of the Bratva was not the best place to be and for a woman that was even worse. A gorgeous young woman like Felicity had even less chance of survival. It was enough to make a man who had long forgotten about God to start praying. But, now… Maybe Felicity stood a chance. Her father was calling him and maybe that meant that Oliver could now get to her. Maybe that meant that the God that had turned his back on him so long ago was finally willing to give him some peace.

            Oliver just short of ran over to his office to find out what the summons was for. “What is it? Is it finished?”

            Their deadline was fast approaching and Oliver was beyond worried that he would not be able to make it. Noah had started on this project around four am and here it was almost three in the afternoon. No one had even bothered to break for breakfast or lunch. The only respite for any of them had come when the call to the facilities had become too strong.

            “I’m almost finished. I just have a few more names.” Noah glanced over at Lyla who nodded before raising his eyes past Oliver to where Diggle stood behind him. “Are you positive you want your family on here?”

            “Yes,” Diggle and Lyla replied firmly at practically the same time.

            “You already have mine on there, correct?” Oliver asked. That had been the agreement from the beginning since it was obvious that Anatoly knew that he also operated with the other organization.

            “No.” Noah glanced up at Lyla again for confirmation. “Was I supposed to?”

            “It has to be,” Oliver told Noah before Lyla could even speak. “We all know this. It will be suspicious if it isn’t.”

            “Put mine on there too.”

            Oliver swung around, along with everyone else, after he heard Sara’s voice from the doorway of the office. “No.”

            “Sara?” Thea jumped from her chair and ran to the other woman. She had been sitting in the corner of the room, as the assigned bodyguard to Noah most of the day, but now there was no stopping the whirlwind as she threw herself at her long lost friend. It was much the same with Thea when Oliver himself returned home from the supposed dead.

            As much as Thea was excited by the news, Lyla frowned. It made Oliver grit his teeth. Sara had chosen the exact wrong moment to make her appearance. There were going to be a lot of questions. Questions he did not have time to answer at the moment.

            Sara hugged Oliver’s sister tightly, as Thea sobbed into her chest. “Hey, Thea. Look at you. You’re so grown up.”

            “I can’t believe you’re alive,” Thea mumbled from Sara’s chest.

            “I can’t either,” Lyla said much more forcefully glaring at her husband and Oliver.

            “You’re not going on the list,” Oliver said to Sara ignoring all the drama around him and concentrating on the most important thing.

            “Yes, I am. It makes sense,” Sara told him from over Thea’s shoulder. Her stare brokered no argument. Well, if she thought he wasn’t going to fight her on this then she didn’t know him very well.

            Sniffling, Thea stepped back and glanced between the two of them. She wiped away her tears and stalked over to her brother slapping his face in an act that she had not dared to do since she was seven. “You knew she was alive and you didn’t tell anyone?”

            “I told him not to,” Sara responded, but Oliver was doubtful that it was necessarily for his defense. “And I’m asking the same favor of all of you.” Her eyes searched the room for confirmation from everyone. Only Lyla hesitated with her nod. “No one can know that I’m alive. Especially, Anatoly and A.R.G.U.S.”

            “A little late for that now,” Lyla grumbled.

            “Please?”

            Lyla finally consented again, but it was one that Oliver could tell was hesitant. By agreeing Lyla was putting her job on the line. Maybe more than that.

            Sara nodded back at her in understanding before turning back to Oliver. “Can I talk to you for a second, Ollie?”

            Oliver felt a little self-conscious at his old nickname being spoken, but Sara was right. They needed to talk. “Let’s go.”

            The two of them walked from the room and neither spoke until the door to Oliver’s bedroom closed behind them. Oliver leaned into the wood with his forehead to try to contain his anger. He knew this fight was going to be mentally draining.

            “I need to be on that list, Ollie.”

            “You don’t even know what it is,” Oliver told her as he turned around to face her. He discovered her on his bed. She sat there on the edge looking worn as she twiddled with her hands, her head bowed down. Scrapping his hands down his face, he realized he no longer had the energy to argue. The very last of his strength had to be saved to get Felicity out of Anatoly’s clutches in a few hours.

            “It’s the list you plan on turning over to Anatoly in exchange for Felicity. The one with the list of Russian A.R.G.U.S. agents.” Sara raised her face so she could look up at him. “Diggle called me earlier. He filled me in because he was scared that you were down her about to combust with frustration.”

            “He didn’t have to call you at all. I would tear him a new one, but I’m pretty sure his wife is doing that as we speak.”

            Sara ignored him and swept a hand through her hair, pushing it from her face. “Listen, I need a reason as to why I died. This is the perfect opportunity to explain that. In fact, being an A.R.G.U.S. agent makes a lot more sense than many of the other explanations going around.” Sara’s eyes pleaded with him and her hand came to rest on the knees of her black jeans. She always did look ready to jump into battle at a moment’s hesitation. “Plus, it’s an extra smoke screen for you. Anatoly will be shocked by seeing my name there that it might give you that much more opportunity to get Felicity out of the compound. And that’s the objective of this whole thing, isn’t it?”

            “Of course it is.” Oliver could not keep the annoyance from his voice. Like he would be doing this for any other reason. Like he would put his family and friends in danger for something that wasn’t as important as… _Felicity_. It was in that moment that Oliver realized just how much Felicity had come to mean to him. _Shit._ He didn’t need this right now. Emotions muddled things. Emotions that he did not need to feel right now because it meant that he might screw up. Emotions that would give Anatoly more ammunition to use against him.

            “Good.” Sara pushed herself up from the bed. “Then let’s go put my name on that list.”

            “Sara.” Oliver grabbed her arm before she could circle around him and leave. “Are you sure you want to do this? Felicity is my problem.”

            Sara raised a hand to Oliver’s face and cupped his cheek. “She means a lot to you, Ollie. There aren’t many people that we can truly claim to have an attachment to. Don’t let that go. Not for me or anyone else.”

            Oliver felt tears prick his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He could feel the depth of conviction in which Sara said her words. It broke his heart a little. A heart that he had long thought lost. But recently, with Felicity’s guidance he began to realize that maybe it wasn’t as far gone as he thought.

            “I don’t know if you realize it, Ollie. But Felicity has brought this light out from inside of you.” Oliver humphed at Sara’s words since it almost matched his own thoughts. “Whatever disagreement you may have had with her, move past it. Because I would do anything for her. She brought back a guy that I never thought that I would see again. You see I lost him a long time and I missed him.”

            “He wasn’t exactly the best version of myself,” Oliver reminded her. His past, was not exactly littered with good intentions.

            “No, but he had a good heart.” Sara’s hand dropped from his face and landed over his heart and the Bratva tattoo that now sat there on top of it. “I think it began to come back.”

            “It did. I just didn’t realize it until now,” Oliver admitted to her.

            Sara nodded. Going on her toes, she pecked him on the cheek. “Great. Now let’s go get Felicity, lover boy.”

            “Shut up,” Oliver told her but began to laugh for the first time in days.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Felicity had enough. Enough with being a victim. Enough of the promises of being released. Enough of the cat and mouse games. They needed to rape or kill her and just get it over with. She was just sick of it all.

            Eying the pot where she had just relieved herself, she grimaced. Seriously, she should have made sure to use the toilet in her last prison before coming here, but it hadn’t exactly been a pressing need at the time. It was the only thing in the room, other than the bed that was askew against the wall. Okay, so there were two other things in there too. A light switch and the camera that now watched her.

            That was why the bed was askew. She had used it to try to climb up to that camera to configure the wires to send out a signal to anyone that she was in trouble. Not that she could reach them. She was just too damn short. What she had accomplished though was to pull the cover off. It allowed her access to see where the camera faced and when it came on to view what she was doing.

            Which was exactly why she made sure after finding out she had no hope of sending out a signal, that she placed the chamber pot directly under it. The camera at least couldn’t see her pee. Thank God for small favors.

            She was pretty sure that the camera from her calculations could see majority of the extremely small room that she now resided in. However, Felicity was pretty sure that it would not be able to make out part of the far wall and just the edge of the doorway. It meant that she might have the opportunity to lay in wait against the wall and wait for someone to come in to clobber them with her heels.

            Her stomach grumbling from the lunch that she had missed and the breakfast she just barely picked over, Felicity began to pace. Just because the camera light was on, on her way back facing the camera she would express her frustration by shooting up her middle finger at the offending piece of tech.


End file.
